Genome Structure
B. anthracis has a single chromosome which is a circular, 5,227,293 bp DNA molecule. It also has two circular, extrachromosomal, double-stranded DNA plasmids, pXO1 and pXO2. Both the pXO1 and pXO2 plasmids are required for full virulence and represent two distinct plasmid families.
| Feature | Chromosome | pXO1 | pXO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size (bp) | 5,227,293 | 181,677 | 94,829 |
| Number of genes | 5,508 | 217 | 113 |
| Replicon coding (%) | 84.3 | 77.1 | 76.2 |
| Average gene length (nt) | 800 | 645 | 639 |
| G+C content (%) | 35.4 | 32.5 | 33.0 |
| rRNA operons | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| tRNAs | 95 | 0 | 0 |
| sRNAs | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Phage genes | 62 | 0 | 0 |
| Transposon genes | 18 | 15 | 6 |
| Disrupted reading frame | 37 | 5 | 7 |
| Genes with assigned function | 2,762 | 65 | 38 |
| Conserved hypothetical genes | 1,212 | 22 | 19 |
| Genes of unknown function | 657 | 8 | 5 |
| Hypothetical genes | 877 | 122 | 51 |
Read more about this topic: Bacillus Anthracis
Famous quotes containing the word structure:
“When a house is tottering to its fall,
The strain lies heaviest on the weakest part,
One tiny crack throughout the structure spreads,
And its own weight soon brings it toppling down.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)