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DNA Research Advance Access published online on April 27, 2008
DNA Research, doi:10.1093/dnares/dsn006
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© The Author 2008. Kazusa DNA Research Institute
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Short Communication

A Variable Gene in a Conserved Region of the Helicobacter pylori Genome: Isotopic Gene Replacement or Rapid Evolution?

Armelle Ménard1,2, Antoine Danchin3, Sandrine Dupouy1,2, Francis Mégraud1,2 and Philippe Lehours1,2,*

1 INSERM U853, Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, 146 rue Léo Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux cedex, France
2 Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Laboratoire de Bactériologie, Bordeaux F-33076, France
3 Institut Pasteur, Génétique des Génomes Bactériens - CNRS URA2171, Paris F-750015, France

Received 6 November 2007 ; accepted 3 April 2008.

The present study concerns the identification of a novel coding sequence in a region of the Helicobacter pylori genome, located between JHP1069/HP1141 and JHP1071/HP1143 according to the numbering of the J99 and 26695 reference strains, respectively, and spanning three different coding DNA sequences (CDSs). The CDSs located at the centre of this locus were highly polymorphic, as determined by the analysis of 24 European isolates, 3 Asian, and 3 African isolates. Phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyses showed that the CDSs were not restricted to the geographical origin of the strains. Despite a very high variability observed in the deduced protein sequences, significant similarity was observed, always with the same protein families, i.e. ATPase and bacteriophage receptor/invasion proteins. Although this variability could be explained by isotopic gene replacement via horizontal transfer of a gene with the same function but coming from a variety of sources, it seems more likely that the very high sequence variation observed at this locus is the result of a strong selection pressure exerted on the corresponding gene product. The CDSs identified in the present study could be used as strain specific markers.

Key words: Helicobacter pylori; coding DNA sequence; genetic diversity; diversifying selection

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel. +33 5-57-57-12-86. Fax. 33 5-56-51-41-82. E-mail: philippe.lehours{at}labhel.u-bordeaux2.fr

Edited by Masahira Hattori


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