Genome and Transcriptome Evolution in the Genus Campylobacter
My Thanh Le and Arnoud H.M. van Vliet
from: Campylobacter Ecology and Evolution (Edited by: Samuel K. Sheppard). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2014)
Abstract
The genus Campylobacter belongs to the Epsilon-subdivision of the Proteobacteria, and comprises a large number of species, which includes the important human pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. The recent progress in high-throughput sequencing technologies are leading to a rapid increase in information on C. jejuni and other Campylobacter species, and these data are beginning to feed into studies on transmission, infection and evolution of this highly variable group of bacteria. The genomes of Campylobacter species display significant levels of variation at the level of genes, promoters, operons, and gene order. This may be explained by the relative paucity of DNA repair mechanisms and horizontal gene transfer via natural transformation, phase variation, plasmid transfer and infection with bacteriophages. In this chapter we will review the current state of genomics and transcriptomics of Campylobacter species, and highlight opportunities where further progress may be made in our understanding of the evolution of Campylobacter read more ...
