The laboratories of Dr. Patrik Bavoil and of Dr. Garry Myers of the University Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) are coordinating a broad comparative genomics projectin the Chlamydiaceae. The project includes the sequencing of several new genomes of the Chlamydiaceae and involves international collaborations with the groups of Drs. Peter Timms, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, and Karine Laroucau, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire (ANSES), Maisons-Alfort, France. Relevant publications include the genome sequence of Chlamydia caviae (1), a comparative analysis of the rrn-nqrF region among members of the Chlamydiaceae (2), the genomic characterization of live vaccine attenuated Chlamydia abortus (3), and a phylogenetic analysis of Chlamydia pneumoniae isolated from Koalas (4), genome sequence analyses of Chlamydia pecorum (5) and Chlamydia psittaci (6,8), and a pan-genomic analysis of the order Chlamydiae (7).

References

(1) Read, T., G.S.A. Myers, R.C. Brunham, W.C. Nelson, I.T. Paulsen, J. Heidelberg, E. Holtzapple, H. Khouri, N.B. Federova, H.A. Carty, L.A. Umayam, D.H. Haft, J. Peterson, M.J. Beanan, O. White, S.L. Salzberg, R.-c. Hsia, G. McClarty, R.G. Rank, P.M. Bavoil & C.M Fraser. 2003. Genome sequence of Chlamydophila caviae (Chlamydia psittaci GPIC): Examining the role of biotype-specific genes in the evolution of the Chlamydiaceae, Nucl. Ac. Res. 31:2134-2147.

(2) Liu, Z., Rank, R., Kaltenboek, B., Magnino, S., Dean, D., Burall, L., Plaut, R., Read, T.D., Myers, G., and Bavoil, P.M. 2007. Genomic plasticity of the rrn-nqrF intergenic segment in the Chlamydiaceae, J. Bact. 189:2128-2132.

(3) Burall L.S., A. Rodolakis, A. Rekiki, G.S.A. Myers, and P.M. Bavoil. 2009. Comparative genomic analysis of the attenuated live vaccine Chlamydia abortus reveals defects in central metabolism and predicted surface proteins. Infect. Immun. 77:4161-4167.

(4) Myers, G.S.A., S.A. Mathews, M. Eppinger, C. Mitchell, F. Benahmed, T.D. Read, R.C. Brunham, J. Ravel, P.M. Bavoil & P. Timms. 2009. Was human Chlamydia pneumoniae zoonotically acquired? J. Bacteriol.,191:7225-7233.

(5) Mojica, S., H. Huot Creasy, S. Daugherty, T.D. Read, B. Kaltenboeck, P.M. Bavoil and G.S.A. Myers. 2011. Genome sequence of the obligate intracellular animal pathogen Chlamydia pecorum E58. J. Bacteriol. 193:3690.

(6) Grinbat-Huse, V., E.F. Drabek, H. Huot Creasy, S. Daugherty, K.M. Jones, I. Santana-Cruz, L.J. Tallon, T.D. Read, T.P. Hatch, P.M. Bavoil and G.S.A. Myers. 2011. Genome sequences of the zoonotic pathogens Chlamydia psittaci 6BC and Cal10. J. Bacteriol. 193:4039-4040.

(7) Collingro, A., P. Tischler, T. Weinmaier, T. Penz, E. Heinz, R.C. Brunham, T.D. Read, P.M. Bavoil, K. Sachse, S. Kahane, M.G. Friedman, T. Rattei, G.S.A. Myers and M. Horn. 2011. Unity in Variety – the Pan-Genome of the Chlamydiae, Mol. Biol. Evol. 28:3253-3270.

(8) van Lent, S., J. Piet, D. Beeckman, A. van der Ende, F. Van Nieuwerburgh, P. Bavoil, G. Myers, D. Vanrompay, and Y. Pannekoek. 2012. Full genome sequences of all 9 Chlamydia psittaci genotype reference strains. J. Bacteriol. 194:6930-1.