Department of Health and Genomics, Center for Advanced Research in Public Health CSISP, Valencia, Spain.
Int Microbiol. 2010 Jun;13(2):45-57. doi: 10.2436/20.1501.01.110.
Bacterial strains belonging to the same species vary considerably in gene content. Thus, the genetic repertoire of a given species (its "pan-genome") is much larger than the gene content of individual strains. These variations in DNA material, together with differences in genomic structure and nucleotide polymorphisms among strains, confer upon prokaryotic species a phenomenal adaptability. Although the approach of sequencing multiple strains from a single species remains the main and often easiest way to study the pan-genome, feasible alternatives include those related to DNA hybridization. In other cases, the use of metagenomic sequences is already applicable by data mining from the growing metagenomic databases. Eventually, the single-cell genome approach might be the ideal solution. The pan-genome concept has important consequences for the way we understand bacterial evolution, adaptation, and population structure, as well as for more applied issues such as vaccine design or the identification of virulence genes.
细菌菌株属于同一物种在基因内容上有很大差异。因此，给定物种的遗传范围（其“泛基因组”）比单个菌株的基因含量大得多。这些 DNA 物质的变化，以及菌株之间基因组结构和核苷酸多态性的差异，赋予了原核生物惊人的适应性。尽管从单一物种中测序多个菌株的方法仍然是研究泛基因组的主要且通常最简单的方法，但可行的替代方法包括与 DNA 杂交相关的方法。在其他情况下，通过从不断增长的宏基因组数据库中进行数据挖掘，已经可以应用宏基因组序列的方法。最终，单细胞基因组方法可能是理想的解决方案。泛基因组概念对我们理解细菌进化、适应和种群结构的方式以及更实际的问题（如疫苗设计或毒力基因的鉴定）具有重要意义。
