A multiomic approach to defining the essential genome of the globally important pathogen Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Emily C. A. Goodall*, Camila Azevedo Antunes, Jens Möller, Vartul Sangal, Von Vergel L. Torres, Jessica Gray, Adam F. Cunningham, Paul A. Hoskisson, Andreas Burkovski, Ian R. Henderson*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Author summary Corynebacterium diphtheriae causes both toxin-mediated diphtheria and non-toxigenic invasive infections. Despite a vaccine to protect against diphtheria, case numbers for both invasive and diphtherial disease have increased over the last decade. Furthermore, an increase in antibiotic resistant strains are being isolated from patients. It’s clear that additional treatment strategies for this organism will be needed in the future. Using high-throughput mutagenesis, this work presents the densest library of mutants for any Corynebacterium sp.. This work identifies the essential genome of C. diphtheriae; an important classification as these genes are often the target of therapeutic intervention. We identify highly conserved genes and species-specific genes unique to pathogens. This data presents an important benchmark and focus for the future development of therapeutic options. Of particular significance is the identification of uncharacterized, conserved proteins within the Diphtheria vaccine.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere1010737
Pages (from-to)1-29
Number of pages29
JournalPLoS Genetics
Volume19
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Apr 2023

Cite this