Searching Genomes by Specific Gene

Ref: Holden MT.,Feil E.J., Lindsay JA. et al (2004) Complete genomes of two clinical Staphylococcus aureus strains: evidence for the rapid evolution of virulence and drug resistance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Jun 29;101(26):9786-91.

The sequences of a recent hospital-acquired representative of the epidemic methicillin-resistant S.aureus EMRSA-16 clone (MRSA252) and a representative of an invasive community-acquired methicillin susceptible S.aureus clone (MSSA476) have recently been deposited at Genbank allowing comparative genomics to be applied to these and other S.aureus strains whose genome sequences are publicly available. This is illustrated by the comparison of the MSSA strain closely with the MRSA strain.

Here we demonstrate the stepwise fashion that can be used through WebACT to view the Staphylococcal chromosomal cassette (SCC) mec-like element described in the above paper in the MSSA strain that is integrated at the same site on the chromosome as SCCmec elements in MRSA strains, but encodes a putative fusidic acid resistance protein rather than the mec genes which encode the methicillin resistance protein.

The stages involved in viewing this comparison are as follows:

1) choose genomes of interest
2) choose gene of interest and region flanking gene
3) View using ACT
4) Save comparison for distribution to colleagues.