Journal
TUBERCULOSIS
Volume 87, Issue 5, Pages 393-404Publisher
CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE
DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2007.05.010
Keywords
Mycobacterium tuberculosis; IS6110; transposon; evolution
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Members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex contain the transposable element IS6110 which, due to its high numerical and positional polymorphism, has become a widely used marker in epidemiological studies. Here, we review the evidence that IS6110 is not simply a passive or `junk' DNA sequence, but that, through its transposable activity, it is able to generate genotypic variation that translates into strain-specific phenotypic variation. We also speculate on the role that this variation has played in the evolution of M. tuberculosis and conclude that the presence of a moderate IS6110 copy number within the genome may provide the pathogen with a selective advantage that has aided its virulence. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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