Journal
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 60, Issue 2, Pages 179-191Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12022
Keywords
amoebic infections; amoebic mitochondrial genome; deep sequencing; encephalitis; genomics; infectious disease; meningitis; PAM; whole-genome sequencing
Categories
Funding
- Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions Graduate Studentship Award
- Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Cell Biology
- Alberta Ingenuity New Faculty Award
- NIH [R56-AI08953]
- University of California
- Abbott Pathogen Discovery Award
- Alberta Innovates [201001324] Funding Source: researchfish
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Naegleria fowleri is a unicellular eukaryote causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a neuropathic disease killing 99% of those infected, usually within 714days. Naegleria fowleri is found globally in regions including the US and Australia. The genome of the related nonpathogenic species Naegleria gruberi has been sequenced, but the genetic basis for N. fowleri pathogenicity is unclear. To generate such insight, we sequenced and assembled the mitochondrial genome and a 60-kb segment of nuclear genome from N. fowleri. The mitochondrial genome is highly similar to its counterpart in N. gruberi in gene complement and organization, while distinct lack of synteny is observed for the nuclear segments. Even in this short (60-kb) segment, we identified examples of potential factors for pathogenesis, including ten novel N. fowleri-specific genes. We also identified a homolog of cathepsin B; proteases proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of diverse eukaryotic pathogens, including N. fowleri. Finally, we demonstrate a likely case of horizontal gene transfer between N. fowleri and two unrelated amoebae, one of which causes granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. This initial look into the N. fowleri nuclear genome has revealed several examples of potential pathogenesis factors, improving our understanding of a neglected pathogen of increasing global importance.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available