This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Zhou, D.
Right arrow Articles by Yang, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Zhou, D.
Right arrow Articles by Yang, R.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2004, p. 5147-5152, Vol. 186, No. 15
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.15.5147-5152.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Genetics of Metabolic Variations between Yersinia pestis Biovars and the Proposal of a New Biovar, microtus

Dongsheng Zhou,1,{dagger} Zongzhong Tong,2,{dagger} Yajun Song,1,{dagger} Yanping Han,1 Decui Pei,1 Xin Pang,1 Junhui Zhai,1 Min Li,3 Baizhong Cui,3 Zhizhen Qi,3 Lixia Jin,3 Ruixia Dai,3 Zongmin Du,1 Jin Wang,1 Zhaobiao Guo,1 Jian Wang,2 Peitang Huang,1 and Ruifu Yang1*

Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, National Center for Biomedical Analysis, Army Center for Microbial Detection and Research, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071,1 Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101,2 Qinghai Institute for Endemic Diseases Prevention and Control, Xining 811602, China3

Received 8 February 2004/ Accepted 31 March 2004

Yersinia pestis has been historically divided into three biovars: antiqua, mediaevalis, and orientalis. On the basis of this study, strains from Microtus-related plague foci are proposed to constitute a new biovar, microtus. Based on the ability to ferment glycerol and arabinose and to reduce nitrate, Y. pestis strains can be assigned to one of four biovars: antiqua (glycerol positive, arabinose positive, and nitrate positive), mediaevalis (glycerol positive, arabinose positive, and nitrate negative), orientalis (glycerol negative, arabinose positive, and nitrate positive), and microtus (glycerol positive, arabinose negative, and nitrate negative). A 93-bp in-frame deletion in glpD gene results in the glycerol-negative characteristic of biovar orientalis strains. Two kinds of point mutations in the napA gene may cause the nitrate reduction-negative characteristic in biovars mediaevalis and microtus, respectively. A 122-bp frameshift deletion in the araC gene may lead to the arabinose-negative phenotype of biovar microtus strains. Biovar microtus strains have a unique genomic profile of gene loss and pseudogene distribution, which most likely accounts for the human attenuation of this new biovar. Focused, hypothesis-based investigations on these specific genes will help delineate the determinants that enable this deadly pathogen to be virulent to humans and give insight into the evolution of Y. pestis and plague pathogenesis. Moreover, there may be the implications for development of biovar microtus strains as a potential vaccine.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, National Center for Biomedical Analysis, Army Center for Microbial Detection and Research, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China. Phone: 86-10-66948595. Fax: 86-10-83820748. E-mail: yangrf{at}nic.bmi.ac.cn.

{dagger} D.Z., Z.T., and Y.S. contributed equally to this work.

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2004, p. 5147-5152, Vol. 186, No. 15
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.15.5147-5152.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Haiko, J., Kukkonen, M., Ravantti, J. J., Westerlund-Wikstrom, B., Korhonen, T. K. (2009). The Single Substitution I259T, Conserved in the Plasminogen Activator Pla of Pandemic Yersinia pestis Branches, Enhances Fibrinolytic Activity. J. Bacteriol. 191: 4758-4766 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zhou, D., Yang, R. (2009). Molecular Darwinian Evolution of Virulence in Yersinia pestis. Infect. Immun. 77: 2242-2250 [Full Text]  
  • Pieper, R., Huang, S.-T., Robinson, J. M., Clark, D. J., Alami, H., Parmar, P. P., Perry, R. D., Fleischmann, R. D., Peterson, S. N. (2009). Temperature and growth phase influence the outer-membrane proteome and the expression of a type VI secretion system in Yersinia pestis. Microbiology 155: 498-512 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bearden, S. W., Sexton, C., Pare, J., Fowler, J. M., Arvidson, C. G., Yerman, L., Viola, R. E., Brubaker, R. R. (2009). Attenuated enzootic (pestoides) isolates of Yersinia pestis express active aspartase. Microbiology 155: 198-209 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Isabel, S., Leblanc, E., Boissinot, M., Boudreau, D. K., Grondin, M., Picard, F. J., Martel, E. A., Parham, N. J., Chain, P. S. G., Bader, D. E., Mulvey, M. R., Bryden, L., Roy, P. H., Ouellette, M., Bergeron, M. G. (2008). Divergence among Genes Encoding the Elongation Factor Tu of Yersinia Species. J. Bacteriol. 190: 7548-7558 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zhan, L., Han, Y., Yang, L., Geng, J., Li, Y., Gao, H., Guo, Z., Fan, W., Li, G., Zhang, L., Qin, C., Zhou, D., Yang, R. (2008). The Cyclic AMP Receptor Protein, CRP, Is Required for Both Virulence and Expression of the Minimal CRP Regulon in Yersinia pestis Biovar microtus. Infect. Immun. 76: 5028-5037 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Viola, R. E., Yerman, L., Fowler, J. M., Arvidson, C. G., Brubaker, R. R. (2008). A missense mutation causes aspartase deficiency in Yersinia pestis. Microbiology 154: 1271-1280 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Li, B., Yang, R. (2008). Interaction between Yersinia pestis and the Host Immune System. Infect. Immun. 76: 1804-1811 [Full Text]  
  • Gao, H., Zhou, D., Li, Y., Guo, Z., Han, Y., Song, Y., Zhai, J., Du, Z., Wang, X., Lu, J., Yang, R. (2008). The Iron-Responsive Fur Regulon in Yersinia pestis. J. Bacteriol. 190: 3063-3075 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chauvaux, S., Rosso, M.-L., Frangeul, L., Lacroix, C., Labarre, L., Schiavo, A., Marceau, M., Dillies, M.-A., Foulon, J., Coppee, J.-Y., Medigue, C., Simonet, M., Carniel, E. (2007). Transcriptome analysis of Yersinia pestis in human plasma: an approach for discovering bacterial genes involved in septicaemic plague. Microbiology 153: 3112-3124 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Huang, X.-Z., Nikolich, M. P., Lindler, L. E. (2006). Current trends in plague research: from genomics to virulence.. Clin Med Res 4: 189-199 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brubaker, R. R. (2005). Influence of Na+, Dicarboxylic Amino Acids, and pH in Modulating the Low-Calcium Response of Yersinia pestis. Infect. Immun. 73: 4743-4752 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Li, B., Jiang, L., Song, Q., Yang, J., Chen, Z., Guo, Z., Zhou, D., Du, Z., Song, Y., Wang, J., Wang, H., Yu, S., Wang, J., Yang, R. (2005). Protein Microarray for Profiling Antibody Responses to Yersinia pestis Live Vaccine. Infect. Immun. 73: 3734-3739 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pourcel, C., Salvignol, G., Vergnaud, G. (2005). CRISPR elements in Yersinia pestis acquire new repeats by preferential uptake of bacteriophage DNA, and provide additional tools for evolutionary studies. Microbiology 151: 653-663 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tong, Z., Zhou, D., Song, Y., Zhang, L., Pei, D., Han, Y., Pang, X., Li, M., Cui, B., Wang, J., Guo, Z., Qi, Z., Jin, L., Zhai, J., Du, Z., Wang, J., Wang, X., Yu, J., Wang, J., Huang, P., Yang, H., Yang, R. (2005). Pseudogene accumulation might promote the adaptive microevolution of Yersinia pestis. J Med Microbiol 54: 259-268 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Achtman, M., Morelli, G., Zhu, P., Wirth, T., Diehl, I., Kusecek, B., Vogler, A. J., Wagner, D. M., Allender, C. J., Easterday, W. R., Chenal-Francisque, V., Worsham, P., Thomson, N. R., Parkhill, J., Lindler, L. E., Carniel, E., Keim, P. (2004). Microevolution and history of the plague bacillus, Yersinia pestis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 17837-17842 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»