Open AccessMolecular and in silico typing of the lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis gene cluster in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli
Author(s) -
Amber Hameed,
Julian M. Ketley,
Alexandra Woodacre,
Lee Machado,
Gemma Marsden
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0265585
Subject(s) - campylobacter jejuni , biology , campylobacter , locus (genetics) , genetics , in silico , genome , gene , campylobacter coli , gene cluster , microbiology and biotechnology , escherichia coli , bacteria
The extensive genetic variation in the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) core biosynthesis gene cluster has led to the development of a classification system; with 8 classes (I-VIII) for Campylobacter coli ( C . coli ) LOS region and with 23 classes (A-W) or four groups (1–4) for Campylobacter jejuni ( C . jejuni ) LOS region. PCR based LOS locus type identification for C . jejuni clinical isolates from a UK hospital as well as in silico LOS locus analysis for C . jejuni and C . coli genome sequences from GenBank was carried out to determine the frequencies of various LOS genotypes in C . jejuni and C . coli . Analysis of LOS gene content in 60 clinical C . jejuni isolates and 703 C . jejuni genome sequences revealed that class B (Group 1) was the most abundant LOS class in C . jejuni . The hierarchy of C . jejuni LOS group prevalence (group 1 > group 2 > group 3 > group 4) as well as the hierarchy of the frequency of C . jejuni LOS classes present within the group 1 (B > C > A > R > M > V), group 2 (H/P > O > E > W), group 3 (F > K > S) and group 4 (G > L) was identified. In silico analysis of LOS gene content in 564 C . coli genome sequences showed class III as the most abundant LOS locus type in C . coli . In silico analysis of LOS gene content also identified three novel LOS types of C . jejuni and previously unknown LOS biosynthesis genes in C . coli LOS locus types I, II, III, V and VIII. This study provides C . jejuni and C . coli LOS loci class frequencies in a smaller collection of C . jejuni clinical isolates as well as within the larger, worldwide database of C . jejuni and C . coli .