Journal
NATURE GENETICS
Volume 41, Issue 12, Pages 1282-U39Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/ng.477
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Funding
- Fondation Raoul Follereau
- Genopole programme
- US National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [RO1-AI47197-01A1, NO1-AI25469]
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Reductive evolution and massive pseudogene formation have shaped the 3.31-Mb genome of Mycobacterium leprae, an unculturable obligate pathogen that causes leprosy in humans. The complete genome sequence of M. leprae strain Br4923 from Brazil was obtained by conventional methods (6 x coverage), and Illumina resequencing technology was used to obtain the sequences of strains Thai53 (38 x coverage) and NHDP63 (46 x coverage) from Thailand and the United States, respectively. Whole-genome comparisons with the previously sequenced TN strain from India revealed that the four strains share 99.995% sequence identity and differ only in 215 polymorphic sites, mainly SNPs, and by 5 pseudogenes. Sixteen interrelated SNP subtypes were defined by genotyping both extant and extinct strains of M. leprae from around the world. The 16 SNP subtypes showed a strong geographical association that reflects the migration patterns of early humans and trade routes, with the Silk Road linking Europe to China having contributed to the spread of leprosy.
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