Evolutionary Origin and Emergence of a Highly Successful Clone of Serotype M1 Group A Streptococcus Involved Multiple Horizontal Gene Transfer Events

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 2005-09, Vol.192 (5), p.771-782
• Main Authors: Sumby, Paul, Porcella, Steve F., Madrigal, Andres G., Barbian, Kent D., Virtaneva, Kimmo, Ricklefs, Stacy M., Sturdevant, Daniel E., Graham, Morag R., Vuopio-Varkila, Jaana, Hoe, Nancy P., Musser, James M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Bacteria; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Bacteriology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Carrier Proteins - genetics; Clone Cells; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Transfer, Horizontal - genetics; Genes; Genome, Bacterial; Genomes; Genotypes; Horizontal gene transfer; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; NAD+ Nucleosidase - genetics; NAD+ Nucleosidase - metabolism; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Open reading frames; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide - genetics; Promoter regions; Prophages; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Streptococcal Infections - genetics; Streptococcal Infections - microbiology; Streptococcus; Streptococcus pyogenes - enzymology; Streptococcus pyogenes - genetics; Streptolysins - genetics; Streptolysins - metabolism
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/432514

To better understand the molecular events involved in the origin of new pathogenic bacteria, we studied the evolution of a highly virulent clone of serotype M1 group A Streptococcus (GAS). Genomic, DNA-DNA microarray, and single-nucleotide polymorphism analyses indicated that this clone evolved through a series of horizontal gene transfer events that involved (1) the acquisition of prophages encoding streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A and extracellular DNases and (2) the reciprocal recombination of a 36-kb chromosomal region encoding the extracellular toxins NAD+-glycohydrolase (NADase) and streptolysin O (SLO). These gene transfer events were associated with significantly increased production of SLO and NADase. Virtual identity in the 36-kb region present in contemporary serotype M1 and M12 isolates suggests that a serotype M12 strain served as the donor of this region. Multiple horizontal gene transfer events were a crucial factor in the evolutionary origin and emergence of a very abundant contemporary clone of serotype M1 GAS