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Mosaic-like sequences containing transposon, phage, and plasmid elements among Listeria monocytogenes plasmids

Carlos Canchaya1, Vanessa Giubellini, Marco Ventura

  • 1Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, Carretera de Infiesto, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|June 1, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Researchers sequenced plasmid pLM33 from Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen. The plasmid

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genomics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Listeria monocytogenes is a significant foodborne pathogen.
  • Plasmids play crucial roles in bacterial adaptation and virulence.
  • Understanding plasmid diversity is key to tracking pathogen transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the genetic makeup of plasmid pLM33 from a food isolate of L. monocytogenes.
  • To compare pLM33 with other known L. monocytogenes plasmids.

Main Methods:

  • Plasmid DNA extraction from Listeria monocytogenes Lm1.
  • Whole-genome sequencing of the plasmid.
  • Bioinformatic analysis for sequence comparison and identity mapping.

Main Results:

  • Plasmid pLM33 has a size of 32,307 base pairs.
  • The G+C content of pLM33 is 36.2%.
  • pLM33 exhibits a mosaic structure with sequence identities shared with other L. monocytogenes plasmids from food and clinical origins.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmid pLM33 shares common genetic elements with other Listeria monocytogenes plasmids.
  • The findings contribute to understanding plasmid evolution and dissemination in L. monocytogenes populations.
  • This characterization aids in epidemiological surveillance of foodborne pathogens.

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