Illuminating the Evolutionary History of Chlamydiae
- Author(s)
- Matthias Horn, Astrid Horn, Stephan Schmitz-Esser, Cora L. Beier, Ulrike Purkhold, Berthold Fartmann, Petra Brandt, Gerald Nyakatura, Marcus Droege, Dmitrij I. Frishman, Thomas Rattei, Hans Werner Mewes, Michael Wagner
- Abstract
Chlamydiae are the major cause of preventable blindness and sexually transmitted disease. Genome analysis of a chlamydia-related symbiont of free-living amoebae revealed that it is twice as large as any of the pathogenic chlamydiae and had few signs of recent lateral gene acquisition. We showed that about 700 million years ago the last common ancestor of pathogenic and symbiotic chlamydiae was already adapted to intracellular survival in early eukaryotes and contained many virulence factors found in modern pathogenic chlamydiae, including a type III secretion system. Ancient chlamydiae appear to be the originators of mechanisms for the exploitation of eukaryotic cells.
- Organisation(s)
- External organisation(s)
- Technische Universität München, MWG Biotech AG, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
- Journal
- Science
- Volume
- 304
- Pages
- 728-730
- No. of pages
- 3
- ISSN
- 0036-8075
- Publication date
- 2004
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 1060 Biology
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/9db98d39-6de5-4243-922b-1699e45fac35