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Journal of Bacteriology, November 2006, p. 7405-7415, Vol. 188, No. 21
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00758-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Whole-Genome Sequence of Listeria welshimeri Reveals Common Steps in Genome Reduction with Listeria innocua as Compared to Listeria monocytogenes ^,

Torsten Hain,^1, Christiane Steinweg,^1, Carsten Tobias Kuenne,¹ André Billion,¹ Rohit Ghai,¹ Som Subhra Chatterjee,¹ Eugen Domann,¹ Uwe Kärst,² Alexander Goesmann,³ Thomas Bekel,³ Daniela Bartels,³ Olaf Kaiser,³ Folker Meyer,³ Alfred Pühler,⁴ Bernd Weisshaar,⁵ Jürgen Wehland,² Chunguang Liang,⁶ Thomas Dandekar,⁶ Robert Lampidis,⁷ Jürgen Kreft,⁷ Werner Goebel,⁷ and Trinad Chakraborty^1*

Institute for Medical Microbiology, Justus-Liebig-University, Frankfurter Strasse 107, D-35392 Giessen, Germany,¹ Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung GmbH, Department of Cell Biology, Mascheroder Weg 1, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany,² Bioinformatics Resource Facility, Centrum für Biotechnologie, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany,³ Lehrstuhl für Genetik, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany,⁴ Lehrstuhl für Genomforschung, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstrasse 25, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany,⁵ Lehrstuhl für Bioinformatik, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland/Biozentrum, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany,⁶ Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland/Biozentrum, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany⁷

Received 26 May 2006/ Accepted 14 August 2006

We present the complete genome sequence of Listeria welshimeri, a nonpathogenic member of the genus Listeria. Listeria welshimeri harbors a circular chromosome of 2,814,130 bp with 2,780 open reading frames. Comparative genomic analysis of chromosomal regions between L. welshimeri, Listeria innocua, and Listeria monocytogenes shows strong overall conservation of synteny, with the exception of the translocation of an F_oF₁ ATP synthase. The smaller size of the L. welshimeri genome is the result of deletions in all of the genes involved in virulence and of "fitness" genes required for intracellular survival, transcription factors, and LPXTG- and LRR-containing proteins as well as 55 genes involved in carbohydrate transport and metabolism. In total, 482 genes are absent from L. welshimeri relative to L. monocytogenes. Of these, 249 deletions are commonly absent in both L. welshimeri and L. innocua, suggesting similar genome evolutionary paths from an ancestor. We also identified 311 genes specific to L. welshimeri that are absent in the other two species, indicating gene expansion in L. welshimeri, including horizontal gene transfer. The species L. welshimeri appears to have been derived from early evolutionary events and an ancestor more compact than L. monocytogenes that led to the emergence of nonpathogenic Listeria spp.

Published ahead of print on 25 August 2006.

Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.

Both authors contributed equally to this work.

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