We have used the Illumina GA platform to rapidly generate genome-wide sequence data for Xcm, the causative agent of BXW, and a closely related strain, Xvv 702, which is unable to infect banana. The draft genome assemblies reveal a core

repertoire of T3SS effectors and other candidate virulence factors and will serve as a starting point for molecular studies of this recently emerging disease. Comparison between Xcm 4381 and Xvv 702 revealed a catalogue of genetic differences, a subset of which presumably underlies the host-jump onto banana. These differences include dispensable genes that are present in one strain and absent from Nutlin-3 in vitro the other as well as several thousand SNPs in the core genome. Among the dispensable genes were those encoding several T3SS

effectors and TFP. We also discovered evidence of recent horizontal genetic transfer between Xvv and distantly related bacteria, including members of other divisions of the Proteobacteria, that may be significant for the evolution of new disease. We hope that the availability of these draft genome sequences will stimulate further work towards understanding and eventually eradicating this devastating disease. This work was supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. We are grateful to Jodie Pike for technical support and Michael Burrell selleck products for computing support. J.S. and J.D.G.J. contributed equally to this work. Appendix S1. List of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in Xvv 702 and Xcm 4381 with respect to the published genome sequence of Xoo MAFF 311018. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell Loperamide is not responsible for the content or functionality of any

supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“Autolysins in bacteria are peptidoglycan hydrolases with roles in growth, turnover and cell lysis. LytM was identified as the only autolysin in a previously reported autolysis-deficient (lyt−) strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Purified LytM has been studied in great detail for its lytic properties and its production is elevated in vancomycin-resistant S. aureus. However, the postulated roles of LytM in S. aureus are largely speculative. Studies utilizing a reporter strain where the lytM promoter was cloned in front of a promoterless lacZ gene and fused in S. aureus strain SH1000 suggest that the expression of lytM is the highest during the early exponential phase. Additionally, lytM expression was downregulated in agr− mutants. The expression of lytM was not affected by the presence of cell wall inhibitors in the growth medium. To further determine the significance of LytM in staphylococcal autolysis, the gene encoding LytM was deleted by site-directed mutagenesis. The deletion of lytM, however, did not alter the rate of staphylococcal cell autolysis.