Claire M. Fraser,
*
Steven J. Norris,
George M. Weinstock,
Owen White,
Granger
G. Sutton,
Robert Dodson,
Michelle Gwinn,
Erin K. Hickey,
Rebecca Clayton,
Karen A. Ketchum,
Erica Sodergren,
John
M. Hardham,
Michael P. McLeod,
Steven Salzberg,
Jeremy Peterson,
Hanif Khalak,
Delwood Richardson,
Jerrilyn K. Howell,
Monjula Chidambaram,
Teresa Utterback,
Lisa McDonald,
Patricia Artiach,
Cheryl Bowman,
Matthew D. Cotton,
Claire Fujii,
Stacey Garland,
Bonnie Hatch,
Kurt Horst,
Kevin Roberts,
Mina Sandusky,
Janice Weidman,
Hamilton O. Smith,
J. Craig Venter
The complete genome sequence of Treponema pallidum was
determined and shown to be 1,138,006 base pairs containing 1041 predicted coding sequences (open reading frames). Systems for DNA
replication, transcription, translation, and repair are intact, but
catabolic and biosynthetic activities are minimized. The number of
identifiable transporters is small, and no
phosphoenolpyruvate:phosphotransferase carbohydrate transporters
were found. Potential virulence factors include a family of 12 potential membrane proteins and several putative hemolysins. Comparison
of the T. pallidum genome sequence with that of another
pathogenic spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of
Lyme disease, identified unique and common genes and substantiates the
considerable diversity observed among pathogenic spirochetes.
C. M. Fraser, O. White, G. G. Sutton, R. Dodson, M. Gwinn, E. K. Hickey, R. Clayton, K. A. Ketchum, S. Salzberg,
J. Peterson, H. Khalak, D. Richardson, T. Utterback, L. McDonald, P. Artiach, C. Bowman, M. D. Cotton, C. Fujii, S. Garland, B. Hatch,
K. Horst, K. Roberts, M. Sandusky, J. Weidman, H. O. Smith, and
J. C. Venter are with The Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. S. J. Norris,
G. M. Weinstock, E. Sodergren, J. M. Hardham, M. P. McLeod, J. K. Howell, and M. Chidambaram are at the University of
Texas Health Science Center, Departments of Microbiology and Molecular
Genetics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and the Center for the
Study of Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens, Post Office Box 20708, Houston, TX 77225, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tpdb{at}tigr.org
