The etiologic agent of plague, Yersinia pestis, includes two subspecies, of which Y. pestis subsp. microtus contains the strains that cause only occasional diseases in humans that are not accompanied by human-to-human transmission. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 19 Y. pestis strains (across 6 biovars of Y. pestis subsp. microtus).

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BACKGROUND Most Yersinia pestis strains are known to express a capsule-like antigen, fraction 1 (F1)(.) F1 is encoded by the caf1 gene located on the large 100-kb pFra plasmid, which is found in Y. pestis but not in closely related species such as Yersinia enterocolytica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. In order to find antibodies specifically binding to Y. pestis we screened a large single cha...

BACKGROUND The human innate immune system relies on the coordinated activity of macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophils or PMNs) for defense against bacterial pathogens. Yersinia spp. subvert the innate immune response to cause disease in humans. In particular, the Yersinia outer protein YopJ (Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis) and YopP (Y. enterocolitica) rapidly induce apo...

The two enteropathogens Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica penetrate eukaryotic cells in vitro through invasin, a surface-exposed protein. In contrast, Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is unable to enter mammalian cell lines, although the inv gene is present on its chromosome. Although 99.3% identical to the inv gene of Y. pseudotuberculosis, the Y. pestis in...

Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that historically accounts for the Black Death epidemics, has nowadays gained new attention as a possible biological warfare agent. In this study, its Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter is investigated for the first time, by a combination of experimental and computational methodologies. We determined the protein's substrate specificity and pH dependence by fluorescence measurement...

The gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis, the aetiological agent of bubonic plague, is one of the deadliest pathogens known to man. Despite its historical reputation, plague is a modern disease which annually afflicts thousands of people. Public safety considerations greatly limit clinical experimentation on this organism and thus development of theoretical tools to analyze the capabilities ...

Pathogenic Yersinia spp (Yersinia pestis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, and Yersinia enterocolitica) have evolved an exquisite method for delivering powerful effectors into cells of the host immune system where they inhibit signaling cascades and block the cells' response to infection. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of this system has provided insight into the processes of phagocytosis a...

Pathogenic Yersinia spp ( Yersinia pestis , Yersinia pseudotuberculosis , and Yersinia enterocolitica ) have evolved an exquisite method for delivering powerful effectors into cells of the host immune system where they inhibit signaling cascades and block the cells’ response to infection. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of this system has provided insight into the processes of phagocytos...