English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Background    M. africanum  West African 2 constitutes an ancient lineage of the  M. tuberculosis  complex that commonly causes human tuberculosis in West Africa and has an attenuated phenotype relative to  M. tuberculosis .    Methodology/Principal Findings  In search of candidate genes underlying these differences, the genome of  M. africanum  West African 2 was sequenced using classical capillary sequencing techniques. Our findings reveal a unique sequence, RD900, that was independently lost during the evolution of two important lineages within the complex: the “modern”  M. tuberculosis  group and the lineage leading to  M. bovis . Closely related to  M. bovis  and other animal strains within the  M. tuberculosis  complex,  M. africanum  West African 2 shares an abundance of pseudogenes with  M. bovis  but also with  M. africanum  West African clade 1. Comparison with other strains of the  M. tuberculosis  complex revealed pseudogenes events in all the known lineages pointing toward ongoing genome erosion likely due to increased genetic drift and relaxed selection linked to serial transmission-bottlenecks and an intracellular lifestyle.    Conclusions/Significance  The genomic differences identified between  M. africanum  West African 2 and the other strains of the  Mycobacterium tuberculosis  complex may explain its attenuated phenotype, and pave the way for targeted experiments to elucidate the phenotypic characteristic of  M. africanum . Moreover, availability of the whole genome data allows for verification of conservation of targets used for the next generation of diagnostics and vaccines, in order to ensure similar efficacy in West Africa.

The Genome of Mycobacterium Africanum West African 2 Reveals a Lineage-Specific Locus and Genome Erosion Common to the M. tuberculosis Complex