Association of CRISPR/Cas evolution with Vibrio parahaemolyticus virulence factors and genotypes

Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2015 Jan;12(1):68-73. doi: 10.1089/fpd.2014.1792. Epub 2014 Dec 2.

Abstract

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), which is considered to be an immune system for bacteria, has been widely used as a tool for genome editing and genotyping. It has also been reported to be associated with virulence factors in some bacteria. To understand the role of CRISPR in the virulence and evolution of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus, 154 V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from clinical samples and 54 strains from food samples taken in Shenzhen, China were subjected to a correlation analysis of CRISPR and virulence factors TDH and TRH. We also performed multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for genotype analysis. Six different CRISPR sequence types (CSTs) of V. parahaemolyticus were identified, and CSTs were found to be significantly associated with the virulence factors tested and MLST genotype. Therefore, CSTs provide insight into the evolution of V. parahaemolyticus. Moreover, identification of CSTs may lend insight into the virulence potential of strains.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems*
  • China
  • Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats / genetics*
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing
  • Serotyping
  • Vibrio parahaemolyticus / classification
  • Vibrio parahaemolyticus / genetics*
  • Virulence Factors / genetics*

Substances

  • Virulence Factors