Genomic complexity and plasticity of Burkholderia cepacia

TG Lessie, W Hendrickson, BD Manning… - FEMS microbiology …, 1996 - academic.oup.com
TG Lessie, W Hendrickson, BD Manning, R Devereux
FEMS microbiology letters, 1996academic.oup.com
Burkholderia cepacia has attracted attention because of its extraordinary degradative
abilities and its potential as a pathogen for plants and for humans. This bacterium was
formerly considered to belong to the genus Pseudomonas in the γ-subclass of the
Proteobacteria, but recently has been assigned to the β-subclass based on rrn gene
sequence analyses and other key phenotypic characteristics. The B. cepacia genome is
comprised of multiple chromosomes and is rich in insertion sequences. These two features …
Abstract
Burkholderia cepacia has attracted attention because of its extraordinary degradative abilities and its potential as a pathogen for plants and for humans. This bacterium was formerly considered to belong to the genus Pseudomonas in the γ-subclass of the Proteobacteria, but recently has been assigned to the β-subclass based on rrn gene sequence analyses and other key phenotypic characteristics. The B. cepacia genome is comprised of multiple chromosomes and is rich in insertion sequences. These two features may have played a key role in the evolution of novel degradative functions and the unusual adaptability of this bacterium.
Oxford University Press