Prediction of genetic traits linked to phenotypic diversification of Brucella using large- scale sequencing
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| Autores: | , |
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| Format: | artículo original |
| Status: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de Publicación: | 2026 |
| Beskrivelse: | Host-adapted Brucella species show substantial variation in host preferences, virulence and metabolic properties, despite sharing mayor 97% genome identity. Extrachromosomal DNAs, such as plasmids, that promote the genetic diversification of environmental Brucella species - formerly known as Ochrobactrum, have not been described for host-adapted Brucella yet. However, phenotypic variation of Brucella is strongly shaped by genomic macro- and microdiversity, including presence or absence of plasticity regions, mobile elements, in- tegrated phages and pseudogenes. The most prominent examples for this diversity are the classical, host adapted Brucella species, which have lost motility due to the loss of chemotaxis or a functional flagellum apparatus. To correlate the occurrence of mutations or pseudogenizations of genes encoding flagellum/chemotaxis functions with the non-motile phenotypes of Brucella, we conducted a bioinformatic analysis based on whole- genome sequencing data for 976 motile- and non-motile Brucella isolates covering representatives of all classical and non-classical/non-core Brucella. Using extracted genomic features for 33 motility- associated genes, we trained a decision tree classifier to predict the motility phenotype of Brucella. The trained classifier employed sequence features of four genes (motC, fliG, flgD and ftcR), based on which it achieved a 100% accuracy in distinguishing motile from non-motile isolates in our data set. To demonstrate the general applicabil- ity of the developed tool, beyond phenotypeinference, we also analyzed the occurrence and genomic characteristics of three genes (ggt, pepT and ddpA) that are potentially involved in the uptake and cleavage of glutathione, a tripeptide that promotes the growth of Ochrobactrum but not of Brucella. This example illustrates that our approach may also be useful for discriminating against host-adapted Brucella from Ochrobactrum species. In summary, this work represents a foundation for determining the genetic basis for some of the phenotypic variability observed in Brucella and should guide future investigations of mechanisms facilitating adaptations to different ecological niches. |
| País: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Institution: | Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Portal de Revistas UNA |
| Sprog: | Inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.revistas.una.ac.cr:article/22793 |
| Online adgang: | https://www.revistas.una.ac.cr/index.php/veterinaria/article/view/22793 |
| Palabra clave: | Brucella genes mutation |