Dynamics of CRISPR loci in microevolutionary process of Yersinia pestis strains

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 29;9(9):e108353. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108353. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

The potential use of CRISPR loci genotyping to elucidate population dynamics and microevolution of 146 Yersinia pestis strains from different biovars and locations was investigated in this work. The majority of strains from the Orientalis biovar presented specific spacer arrays, allowing for the establishment of a CRISPR signature for their respective isolates. Twenty-one new spacers were found in the Y. pestis strains from plague foci in Brazil. Ninety-three (64%) strains were grouped in the G1 genotype, whereas the others were distributed in 35 genotypes. This study allowed observing a microevolutionary process in a group of Y. pestis isolated from Brazil. We also identified specific genotypes of Y. pestis that were important for the establishment of the bacteria in plague foci in Brazil. The data have provided supporting evidence for the diversity and dynamics of CRISPR loci present in the genome of Y. pestis strains from plague foci in Brazil.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 5' Untranslated Regions / genetics
  • Base Sequence
  • Brazil
  • Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats / genetics*
  • DNA, Bacterial / analysis
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics*
  • DNA, Intergenic / genetics*
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genome, Bacterial
  • Genotype
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Plague / microbiology
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Yersinia pestis / classification
  • Yersinia pestis / genetics*
  • Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / genetics

Substances

  • 5' Untranslated Regions
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Intergenic

Grants and funding

Support was provided by Fundação de Amparo a Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco and Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães by the Technique Cooperation Scholarship (BCT). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.