The lifestyle of Corynebacterium urealyticum derived from its complete genome sequence established by pyrosequencing

• Published in: Journal of biotechnology Vol. 136; no. 1; pp. 11 - 21
• Main Authors: Tauch, Andreas, Trost, Eva, Tilker, Alexandra, Ludewig, Ulrike, Schneiker, Susanne, Goesmann, Alexander, Arnold, Walter, Bekel, Thomas, Brinkrolf, Karina, Brune, Iris, Götker, Susanne, Kalinowski, Jörn, Kamp, Paul-Bertram, Lobo, Francisco Pereira, Viehoever, Prisca, Weisshaar, Bernd, Soriano, Francisco, Dröge, Marcus, Pühler, Alfred
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 31-08-2008; [New York, NY]: Elsevier
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Base Sequence; Chromosome Mapping - methods; Corynebacterium - genetics; Corynebacterium jeikeium; Corynebacterium urealyticum; Genome sequence; Genome, Bacterial - genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Open Reading Frames - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA - methods; Urinary tract infection; Virulence factors; β-Oxidation; Urinary tract infection; Corynebacterium urealyticum; Genome sequence; Virulence factors; β-Oxidation; Antibiotic resistance
• ISSN: 0168-1656; 1873-4863
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2008.02.009

Corynebacterium urealyticum is a lipid-requiring, urealytic bacterium of the human skin flora that has been recognized as causative agent of urinary tract infections. We report the analysis of the complete genome sequence of
C. urealyticum DSM7109, which was initially recovered from a patient with alkaline-encrusted cystitis. The genome sequence was determined by a combination of pyrosequencing and Sanger technology. The chromosome of
C. urealyticum DSM7109 has a size of 2,369,219
bp and contains 2024 predicted coding sequences, of which 78% were considered as orthologous with genes in the
Corynebacterium jeikeium K411 genome. Metabolic analysis of the lipid-requiring phenotype revealed the absence of a fatty acid synthase gene and the presence of a β-oxidation pathway along with a large repertoire of auxillary genes for the degradation of exogenous fatty acids. A urease locus with the gene order
ureABCEFGD may play a pivotal role in virulence of
C. urealyticum by the alkalinization of human urine and the formation of struvite stones. Multidrug resistance of
C. urealyticum DSM7109 is mediated by transposable elements, conferring resistances to macrolides, lincosamides, ketolides, aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline. The complete genome sequence of
C. urealyticum revealed a detailed picture of the lifestyle of this opportunistic human pathogen.