Genome sequence of a proteolytic (Group I)Clostridium botulinum strain Hall A and comparative analysis of the clostridial genomes
- Mohammed Sebaihia1,
- Michael W. Peck2,
- Nigel P. Minton3,
- Nicholas R. Thomson1,
- Matthew T.G. Holden1,
- Wilfrid J. Mitchell4,
- Andrew T. Carter2,
- Stephen D. Bentley1,
- David R. Mason2,
- Lisa Crossman1,
- Catherine J. Paul5,
- Alasdair Ivens1,
- Marjon H.J. Wells-Bennik2,
- Ian J. Davis3,
- Ana M. Cerdeño-Tárraga1,
- Carol Churcher1,
- Michael A. Quail1,
- Tracey Chillingworth1,
- Theresa Feltwell1,
- Audrey Fraser1,
- Ian Goodhead1,
- Zahra Hance1,
- Kay Jagels1,
- Natasha Larke1,
- Mark Maddison1,
- Sharon Moule1,
- Karen Mungall1,
- Halina Norbertczak1,
- Ester Rabbinowitsch1,
- Mandy Sanders1,
- Mark Simmonds1,
- Brian White1,
- Sally Whithead1, and
- Julian Parkhill1,6
- 1 Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom;
- 2 Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UA, United Kingdom;
- 3 Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, School of Molecular Medical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom;
- 4 School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom;
- 5 Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0L2, Canada
Abstract
Clostridium botulinum is a heterogeneous Gram-positive species that comprises four genetically and physiologically distinct groups of bacteria that share the ability to produce botulinum neurotoxin, the most poisonous toxin known to man, and the causative agent of botulism, a severe disease of humans and animals. We report here the complete genome sequence of a representative of Group I (proteolytic)C. botulinum (strain Hall A, ATCC 3502). The genome consists of a chromosome (3,886,916 bp) and a plasmid (16,344 bp), which carry 3650 and 19 predicted genes, respectively. Consistent with the proteolytic phenotype of this strain, the genome harbors a large number of genes encoding secreted proteases and enzymes involved in uptake and metabolism of amino acids. The genome also reveals a hitherto unknown ability ofC. botulinum to degrade chitin. There is a significant lack of recently acquired DNA, indicating a stable genomic content, in strong contrast to the fluid genome ofClostridium difficile, which can form longer-term relationships with its host. Overall, the genome indicates thatC. botulinum is adapted to a saprophytic lifestyle both in soil and aquatic environments. This pathogen relies on its toxin to rapidly kill a wide range of prey species, and to gain access to nutrient sources, it releases a large number of extracellular enzymes to soften and destroy rotting or decayed tissues.
Footnotes
↵6 Corresponding author.
↵6 E-mailparkhill{at}sanger.ac.uk; fax 44-1223-494919.
[Supplemental material is available online atwww.genome.org. The sequence and annotation of theClostridium botulinum chromosome and plasmid have been deposited in the EMBL database under accession nos. AM412317 and AM412318, respectively. Microarray data have been deposited in ArrayExpress under accession no. E-TABM-264.]
Article published online before print. Article and publication date are athttp://www.genome.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gr.6282807
- Received January 14, 2007.
- Accepted April 10, 2007.
Freely available online through theGenome Research Open Access option.
- Copyright © 2007, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
