ArticleBMC genomics2009
Implications of high level pseudogene transcription in Mycobacterium leprae.
Article in BMC genomics, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- The transcriptional and translational outcomes for pseudogenes in bacterial endosymbionts.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Magnetoreception in a freshwater ciliate arises from endosymbiosis.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Cappable-Seq reveals the transcriptional landscape of stress responses in the bacterial endosymbiontMicrobial genomics · 2025Article
- Metatranscriptomics provide insights into the role of the symbiont Midichloria mitochondrii in Ixodes ticks.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2024Article
- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2022Review
- A promising whole-blood biomarker to aid Leprosy control.EBioMedicine · 2021Article
- Adhesive Functions or Pseudogenization of Type Va Autotransporters inFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Article
- Article
- Complete genome sequence and annotation of the laboratory reference strain Shigella flexneri serotype 5a M90T and genome-wide transcriptional start site determination.BMC genomics · 2020Article
- Decoding the similarities and differences among mycobacterial species.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Article
- Transient In Vivo Resistance Mechanisms of Burkholderia pseudomallei to Ceftazidime and Molecular Markers for Monitoring Treatment Response.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Article
- Diguanylate cyclase activity of the Mycobacterium leprae T cell antigen ML1419c.Microbiology (Reading, England) · 2016Article
- Mutational Studies of Putative Biosynthetic Genes for the Cyanobacterial Sunscreen Scytonemin in Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133.Frontiers in microbiology · 2016Article
- CovRS-Regulated Transcriptome Analysis of a Hypervirulent M23 Strain of Group A Streptococcus pyogenes Provides New Insights into Virulence Determinants.Journal of bacteriology · 2015Article
- To Be or Not to Be a Pseudogene: A Molecular Epidemiological Approach to the mclx Genes and Its Impact in Tuberculosis.PloS one · 2015Article
- PCR-based techniques for leprosy diagnosis: from the laboratory to the clinic.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2014Review
- Article
- Gene expression profile and immunological evaluation of unique hypothetical unknown proteins of Mycobacterium leprae by using quantitative real-time PCR.Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI · 2013Article
- Comparative analyses of transport proteins encoded within the genomes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae.Biochimica et biophysica acta · 2012Article
- Sequence variability of Rhizobiales orthologs and relationship with physico-chemical characteristics of proteins.Biology direct · 2011Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe Mycobacterium leprae genome has less than 50% coding capacity and 1,133 pseudogenes. Preliminary evidence suggests that some pseudogenes are expressed. Therefore, defining pseudogene transcriptional and translational potentials of this genome should increase our understanding of their impact on M. leprae physiology.
resultsGene expression analysis identified transcripts from 49% of all M. leprae genes including 57% of all ORFs and 43% of all pseudogenes in the genome. Transcribed pseudogenes were randomly distributed throughout the chromosome. Factors resulting in pseudogene transcription included: 1) co-orientation of transcribed pseudogenes with transcribed ORFs within or exclusive of operon-like structures; 2) the paucity of intrinsic stem-loop transcriptional terminators between transcribed ORFs and downstream pseudogenes; and 3) predicted pseudogene promoters. Mechanisms for translational "silencing" of pseudogene transcripts included the lack of both translational start codons and strong Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequences. Transcribed pseudogenes also contained multiple "in-frame" stop codons and high Ka/Ks ratios, compared to that of homologs in M. tuberculosis and ORFs in M. leprae. A pseudogene transcript containing an active promoter, strong SD site, a start codon, but containing two in frame stop codons yielded a protein product when expressed in E. coli.
conclusionApproximately half of M. leprae's transcriptome consists of inactive gene products consuming energy and resources without potential benefit to M. leprae. Presently it is unclear what additional detrimental affect(s) this large number of inactive mRNAs has on the functional capability of this organism. Translation of these pseudogenes may play an important role in overall energy consumption and resultant pathophysiological characteristics of M. leprae. However, this study also demonstrated that multiple translational "silencing" mechanisms are present, reducing additional energy and resource expenditure required for protein production from the vast majority of these transcripts.
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