Abstract
Phylogenomics reveals extreme gene loss in typhus group (TG) rickettsiae relative to the levels for other rickettsial lineages. We report here a curious protease-encoding gene (ppcE) that is conserved only in TG rickettsiae. As a possible determinant of host pathogenicity, ppcE warrants consideration in the development of therapeutics against epidemic and murine typhus.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
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Conserved Sequence
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Evolution, Molecular*
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Models, Molecular
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Phylogeny
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Protein Structure, Tertiary
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Rickettsieae / enzymology*
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Rickettsieae / genetics*
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Sequence Alignment
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Serine Endopeptidases / genetics*
Substances
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Bacterial Proteins
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Serine Endopeptidases
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group-specific protease