Nature Genetics
36, 1165 - 1173 (2004)
Published online: 3 October 2004; | doi:10.1038/ng1447
Evidence in the Legionella pneumophila genome for exploitation of host cell functions and high genome plasticityChristel Cazalet1, Christophe Rusniok1, Holger Brüggemann1, Nora Zidane2, Arnaud Magnier2, Laurence Ma2, Magalie Tichit2, Sophie Jarraud3, Christiane Bouchier2, François Vandenesch3, Frank Kunst1, Jérôme Etienne3, Philippe Glaser1
& Carmen Buchrieser11
Laboratoire de Génomique des Microorganismes Pathogènes and CNRS URA 2171, Institut Pasteur, 28, rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. 2
Plate-forme Génomique, Pasteur Génopole Ile de France, Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris, France. 3
Centre National de Référence des Legionella, Laboratoire de Bactériologie INSERM E-0230, Faculté de Médecine, IFR 62, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France.
Correspondence should be addressed to Carmen Buchrieser cbuch@pasteur.fr
Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, replicates as an intracellular parasite of amoebae and persists in the environment as a free-living microbe. Here we have analyzed the complete genome sequences of L. pneumophila Paris (3,503,610 bp, 3,077 genes), an endemic strain that is predominant in France, and Lens (3,345,687 bp, 2,932 genes), an epidemic strain responsible for a major outbreak of disease in France. The L. pneumophila genomes show marked plasticity, with three different plasmids and with about 13% of the sequence differing between the two strains. Only strain Paris contains a type V secretion system, and its Lvh type IV secretion system is encoded by a 36-kb region that is either carried on a multicopy plasmid or integrated into the chromosome. Genetic mobility may enhance the versatility of L. pneumophila. Numerous genes encode eukaryotic-like proteins or motifs that are predicted to modulate host cell functions to the pathogen's advantage. The genome thus reflects the history and lifestyle of L. pneumophila, a human pathogen of macrophages that coevolved with fresh-water amoebae.
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