Background: Some of the spore-forming strains of Bacillus probiotics are marketed commercially as they survive harsh gastrointestinal conditions and bestow health benefits to the host.Results: We... Show moreBackground: Some of the spore-forming strains of Bacillus probiotics are marketed commercially as they survive harsh gastrointestinal conditions and bestow health benefits to the host.Results: We report the composite genome of Bacillus clausii ENTPro from a commercially available probiotic Enterogermina (R) and compare it with the genomes of other Bacillus probiotics. We find that the members of B. clausii species harbor high heterogeneity at the species as well as genus level. The genes conferring resistance to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, rifampicin, and tetracycline in the B. clausii ENTPro strain could be identified. The genes coding for the bacteriocin gallidermin, which prevents biofilm formation in the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis, were also identified. KEGG Pathway analysis suggested that the folate biosynthesis pathway, which depicts one of the important roles of probiotics in the host, is conserved completely in B. subtilis and minimally in B. clausii and other probiotics.Conclusions: We identified various antibiotic resistance, bacteriocins, stress-related, and adhesion-related domains, and industrially-relevant pathways, in the genomes of these probiotic bacteria that are likely to help them survive in the harsh gastrointestinal tract, facilitating adhesion to host epithelial cells, persistence during antibiotic treatment and combating bacterial infections. Show less
Copy number variations (CNVs) in the human genome are inherent in both evolutionary progression as well as the etiology of disease. The introduction of this thesis will review CNVs that appear to... Show moreCopy number variations (CNVs) in the human genome are inherent in both evolutionary progression as well as the etiology of disease. The introduction of this thesis will review CNVs that appear to be neutral as well as CNVs that appear to be related to a phenotypic trait. This will be followed by a review of the many different technical approaches that can be used for detecting genomic rearrangements. The articles (chapter II & III) describe several studies that have applied the rapidly evolving techniques for CNV detection to the clinical problem of unexplained mental retardation and congenital malformation(s). The availability of the new diagnostic tools will greatly increase our understanding of the genetic causes of mental retardation and congenital malformation(s), and might one day lead to therapeutic interventions in some cases. Show less
