Genomics and Transcriptomics of Legionella pneumophila: Insights into the Life Style of an Intracellular Pathogen
Christel Cazalet, Matthieu Jules and Carmen Buchrieser
from: Legionella: Molecular Microbiology (Edited by: Klaus Heuner and Michele Swanson). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2008)
Abstract
The last years have seen a giant step in genomics of Legionella pneumophila. The determination and publication of the complete genome sequences of three clinical L. pneumophila isolates in 2004 now paves the way for major breakthroughs in understanding the biology of L. pneumophila in particular and Legionella in general. Here we describe the major features deduced from genome sequence analyses of L. pneumophila and highlight the characteristic features and common traits of the L. pneumophila genomes. Emphasis is given to putative virulence and Legionella life cycle related functions. In depth comparative genome analysis using DNA arrays to study the gene content of 180 Legionella strains revealed the high genome plasticity and frequent horizontal gene transfer identified through whole genome comparisons. Further insight in the L. pneumophila life cycle was recently gained by investigating the intracellular gene expression profile of L. pneumophila in Acanthamoeba castellanii, its natural host. This study shows that L. pneumophila exhibits a biphasic life cycle in vitro as well as in vivo and defines transmissive and replicative traits according to gene expression profiles. These specific traits are discussed, and future perspectives in Legionella genomics are presented read more ...
