Diversity in a variable-number tandem repeat from Yersinia pestis

Adair, D. M. and Worsham, P. L. and Hill, K. K. and Klevytska, A. M. and Jackson, P. J. and Friedlander, A. M. and Keim, P. (2000) Diversity in a variable-number tandem repeat from Yersinia pestis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 38 (4). pp. 1516-1519. ISSN 1098-660X

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Abstract

A tetranucleotide repeat sequence, (CAAA)N, was identified in the genome of Y. pestis, the causative agent of plague. This variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) region has 9 alleles and great diversity (calculated as 1 minus the sum of the squared allele frequencies) (diversity value, 0.82) within a set of 35 diverse Y. pestis strains. In contrast, the nucleotide sequence of the lcrV (low-calcium-response) gene differed only slightly among these strains, having a haplotype diversity value of 0.17. Replicated cultures, phenotypic variants of particular strains, and extensively cultured replicates within strains did not differ in VNTR allele type. Thus, while a high mutation rate must contribute to the great diversity of this locus, alleles appear stable under routine laboratory culture conditions. The classic 3 plague biovars did not have single identifying alleles, although there were allelic biases within biovar categories. The antiqua biovar was the most diverse, with 4 alleles observed in 5 strains, while the orientalis and mediaevalis biovars exhibited 5 alleles in 21 strains and 3 alleles in 8 strains, respectively. The CAAA VNTR is located immediately adjacent to the transcriptional promoters for flanking open reading frames and may affect their activity. It is concluded that VNTR marker may provide a high-resolution tool for epidemiological analyses of plague.

Item Type:	Article
Related URLs:	Publisher
Keywords:	Alleles; Antigens, Bacterial; Base Sequence; DNA, Bacterial; Genetic Variation; Humans; Minisatellite Repeats; Molecular Sequence Data; Plague; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Yersinia
Subjects:	Q Science > QR Microbiology
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit:	College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > Biological Sciences
Date Deposited:	29 Jan 2016 22:03
URI:	http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/827

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