Query: NC_004547:164000 Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica SCRI1043, complete genome
Lineage: Pectobacterium atrosepticum; Pectobacterium; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This strain (ATCC BAA-672) is a virulent blackleg isolated from the stem of a potato plant. Causative agent for blackleg and soft rot disease in potatoes. Formerly Erwinia, these organisms are plant-specific pathogens that invade the vascular systems of plants. Both Pectobacterium chrysanthemia and Pectobacterium carotovora cause soft-rot diseases of various plant hosts through degradation of the plant cell walls. Pectobacterium colonize the intercellular spaces of plant cells and deliver potent effector molecules (Avr - avirulence) through a type III secretion system (Hrp - hypersensitive response and pathogenicity). Avr proteins control host-bacterium interactions, including host range. Expression of the plant cell-wall-degrading enzymes is controlled through a quorum-sensing mechanism that quantifies the number of Pectobacterium bacteria through measurement of the concentration of small molecules (acyl homoserine lactones) produced by Pectobacterium. Pectobacterium atrosepticum is an environmentally widespread organism that causes blackleg and soft rot disease in potatoes. This organism produces pectolytic enzymes that destroy plant tissue and allow the bacteria to spread.
Subject: NC_004741:3992384 Shigella flexneri 2a str. 2457T, complete genome
Lineage: Shigella flexneri; Shigella; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This is a highly virulent strain that has been widely used for genetic and clinical research. Causes enteric disease. This genus is named for the Japanese scientist (Shiga) who discovered them in the 1890s. They are closely related to the Escherichia group, and may be considered the same species. are human-specific pathogens that are transmitted via contaminated food and water and are the leading causes of endemic bacillary dysentery, and over 1 million deaths worldwide are attributed to them. The bacteria infect the epithelial lining of the colon, causing acute inflammation by entering the host cell cytoplasm and spreading intercellularly. are extremely virulent organisms that require very few cells in order to cause disease. Both the type III secretion system, which delivers effector molecules into the host cell, and some of the translocated effectors such as the invasion plasmid antigens (Ipas), are encoded on the plasmid. The bacterium produces a surface protein that localizes to one pole of the cell (IcsA) which binds to and promotes actin polymerization, resulting in movement of the bacterium through the cell cytoplasm, and eventually to neighboring cells, which results in inflammatory destruction of the mucosal lining. This organism, along with Shigella sonnei, is the major cause of shigellosis in industrialized countries and is responsible for endemic infections.