Complete DNA sequence and gene analysis of the virulence plasmid pCP301 of Shigella flexneri 2a

Bacteria Shigella spp. are highly contagious, severely harmful and gram-negative facultative intracellular pathogens. They may cause shigellosis characterized by fever, dehydration and hematochezia in clinic, and shigellosis has been remaining a leading cause of infant mortality in the world. Shigella belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae and the group Escherichiaeae, which are divided into four species and at least 47 serotypes: Shigella dysenteriae (13 serotypes), Shigella flexneri (15 …     

Complete DNA sequence and gene analysis of the virulence plasmid pCP301 of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Shigella flexneri</Emphasis> 2a

The complete nucleotide sequence and organization of the large virulence plasmid pCP301 (termed by us) of Shigella flexneri 2a strain 301 were determined and analyzed. The result showed that the entire DNA sequence of pCP301 is composed of 221618 bp which form a circular plasmid. Sequence analysis identified 272 open reading frames (ORFs), among which, 194 correspond to the proteins described previously, 61 have low identity (<60%) to known proteins and the rest 17 have no regions of significant homology with proteins in database. The genes of pCP301 mainly include the genes associated with bacterial virulence, the genes associated with regulation and the genes relating to plasmid maintenance, stability and DNA metabolism. Insertion sequence (IS) elements are 68 kb in length and account for 30 percent of complete sequence of the plasmid which indicates that gene multiple rearrangements of the pCP301 have taken place in Shigella flexneri evolution history. The research result is helpful for interpreting the pathogenesis of Shigella, as well as the genetics and evolution of the plasmid.     

志贺菌福氏2a毒力大质粒DNA全序列的测定与基因分析

对志贺菌福氏2a 301株的毒力大质粒pCP301的DNA全序列进行了测定, 并进行了结构分析. 结果表明, pCP301 DNA全序列由221618个碱基对组成, 基因分析共确定了272个开放读码框架(ORF), 经过与基因数据库比较, 其中194个ORF与已知基因或编码产物具有高同源性, 61个ORF同源性较低, 其余17个为新确定的未知功能的ORF. pCP301中的基因主要包括: (ⅰ) 与细菌毒力有关的ipa-mxi-spa, osp和iph基因; (ⅱ) 与调控有关的vir基因; (ⅲ) 与质粒的维持、稳定和DNA代谢有关的mvp, stb, rep和par等基因; (ⅳ) 转座酶编码基因. pCP301中的插入序列总长68 kb, 占全序列的 30%, 提示pCP301在细菌生长与进化过程中发生了多次基因重排. 研究结果对揭示志贺菌的致病机理及大质粒的遗传与进化有重要意义.