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Veterinary microbiology2012; 159(1-2); 195-203; doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.03.041

Comparative genomic analyses of the Taylorellae.

Abstract: Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is an important venereal disease of horses that is of concern to the thoroughbred industry. Taylorella equigenitalis is a causative agent of CEM but very little is known about it or its close relative Taylorella asinigenitalis. To reveal novel information about Taylorella biology, comparative genomic analyses were undertaken. Whole genome sequencing was performed for the T. equigenitalis type strain, NCTC11184. Draft genome sequences were produced for a second T. equigenitalis strain and for a strain of T. asinigenitalis. These genome sequences were analysed and compared to each other and the recently released genome sequence of T. equigenitalis MCE9. These analyses revealed that T. equigenitalis strains appear to be very similar to each other with relatively little strain-specific DNA content. A number of genes were identified that encode putative toxins and adhesins that are possibly involved in infection. Analysis of T. asinigenitalis revealed that it has a very similar gene repertoire to that of T. equigenitalis but shares surprisingly little DNA sequence identity with it. The generation of genome sequence information greatly increases knowledge of these poorly characterised bacteria and greatly facilitates study of them.
Publication Date: 2012-04-06 PubMed ID: 22541164DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.03.041Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article

Summary

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The research investigates the genetic makeup of the bacteria Taylorella equigenitalis, a cause of a harmful venereal disease in horses, and its close relative Taylorella asinigenitalis. Whole genome sequencing was performed on multiple strains of these bacteria, with analyses revealing similar gene repertoires among the strains, as well as genes possibly involved in infection.

Comparative Genomic Analyses

  • The primary focus of this research was to perform a comparative genomic study on Taylorella equigenitalis and Taylorella asinigenitalis, both of which have had very little prior investigation regarding their genetic structure.
  • All strains of T. equigenitalis and T. asinigenitalis were studied. Whole genome sequencing was conducted on the NCTC11184 strain of T. equigenitalis, two other T. equigenitalis strains, and a T. asinigenitalis strain.

Findings on T. equigenitalis Strains

  • Analysis of the genomic content of T. equigenitalis strains showed minimal discrepancy among the strains, indicating a significant level of genetic similarity. This suggests that different strains might not drastically differ in their impact or method of causing disease.
  • The research also isolated several genes with a potential role in facilitating bacterial infection. This included putative toxins and adhesins, elements which can mediate the adherence of the bacteria to its host.

Comparison Between T. equigenitalis and T. asinigenitalis

  • Despite genetic repertoire similarities between T. equigenitalis and T. asinigenitalis, there was surprisingly little DNA sequence identity between the two bacteria. This suggests that while they may perform similar roles or functions, the detailed genetic approaches to these functions might be significantly different between the two.

Implications of the Study

  • The genomic sequence data generated from this study aids in the understanding of these bacteria, paving the way for more extensive research on these uncharacterised species.
  • This detailed genetic information can be utilized to develop targeted and effective treatments or preventive strategies against the diseases caused by these specific bacteria in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Hauser H, Richter DC, van Tonder A, Clark L, Preston A. (2012). Comparative genomic analyses of the Taylorellae. Vet Microbiol, 159(1-2), 195-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.03.041

Publication

ISSN: 1873-2542
NlmUniqueID: 7705469
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 159
Issue: 1-2
Pages: 195-203

Researcher Affiliations

Hauser, Heidi
  • Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK.
Richter, Daniel C
    van Tonder, Andries
      Clark, Louise
        Preston, Andrew

          MeSH Terms

          • Adhesins, Bacterial / genetics
          • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
          • Fimbriae Proteins / genetics
          • Genetic Variation
          • Genome, Bacterial / genetics
          • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
          • Taylorella / classification
          • Taylorella / genetics
          • Taylorella / metabolism

          Citations

          This article has been cited 7 times.
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            doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01214-14pubmed: 25428969google scholar: lookup
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            doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-14-69pubmed: 24641089google scholar: lookup
          6. Whiteson KL, Hernandez D, Lazarevic V, Gaia N, Farinelli L, François P, Pilo P, Frey J, Schrenzel J. A genomic perspective on a new bacterial genus and species from the Alcaligenaceae family, Basilea psittacipulmonis. BMC Genomics 2014 Mar 1;15:169.
            doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-169pubmed: 24581117google scholar: lookup
          7. Hara Y, Hayashi K, Nakajima T, Kagawa S, Tazumi A, Moore JE, Matsuda M. Molecular identification and characterization of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) gene cluster in Taylorella equigenitalis. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 2013 Sep;58(5):375-84.
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