鼠疫耶尔森菌遗传学研究进展

Advance in the genetic research on Yersinia pestis

染色体、质粒作为鼠疫耶尔森菌(鼠疫菌)的遗传基础,决定着鼠疫菌的生物学特征及致病力。在现有的鼠疫菌全基因组序列中,各型菌株基因组都表现出G+C含量偏差、存在丰富的插入序列、大量的假基因及频繁的基因重组等特征,这些都是鼠疫菌迅速进化的关键。鼠疫菌遗传学通过基因组学、比较和进化基因组学的研究,确定鼠疫菌对人体的毒力因子和致病机制,探索鼠疫菌致病性和进化的遗传学机制,从而为鼠疫的流行监测及疫苗研制等防治工作提供科学的理论依据。

As the genetic basis of Yersinia pestis, chromosomes and plasmids play a determinant role in its biological characteristics and virulence. G ＋C- base composition deviation, abundant insertion sequences, substantial pseudogenes and frequent gene recombination in varying types of strains indicate rapid evolution of Y. pestis. The present study employs the genetic approaches such as comparative and evolutional genomics to analyze the virulence and pathogenic mechanisms of Y. pestis, disclose the genetic mechanisms of the pathogenicity and evolution of Y. pestis, and provide scientific basis for the development of epidemiologic surveillance, vaccine deployment and prevention of plague.