Revisiting the intrageneric structure of the genus Pseudomonas with complete whole genome sequence information: Insights into diversity and pathogen-related genetic determinants

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Pseudomonas spp. exhibit considerable differences in host specificity and virulence. Most Pseudomonas species were isolated exclusively from environmental sources, ranging from soil to plants, but some Pseudomonas species have been detected from versatile sources, including both human host and environmental sources. Understanding genome variations that generate the tremendous diversity in Pseudomonas biology is important in controlling the incidence of infections. With a data set of 704 Pseudomonas complete whole genome sequences representing 186 species, Pseudomonas intrageneric structure was investigated by hierarchical clustering based on average nucleotide identity, and by phylogeny analysis based on concatenated core-gene alignment. Further comparative functional analyses indicated that Pseudomonas species only living in natural habitats lack multiple functions that are important in the regulation of bacterial pathogenesis, indicating the possession of these functions might be characteristic of Pseudomonas human pathogens. Moreover, we have performed pan-genome based homogeneity analyses, and detected genes with conserved structures but diversified functions across the Pseudomonas genomes, suggesting these genes play a role in driving diversity. In summary, this study provided insights into the dynamics of genome diversity and pathogen-related genetic determinants in Pseudomonas, which might help the development of more targeted antibiotics for the treatment of Pseudomonas infections.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number105183
JournalInfection, genetics and evolution
Volume97
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85121448111
WOS 000740072600003
Mendeley 043319f6-6454-3090-bd92-a3f648dc7163

Keywords

Keywords

  • Bacterial pathogenesis, Pan-genome, Opportunistic human pathogen, Pseudomonas, Host-pathogen interaction