Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 56 in total

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  1. A collective statement in support of saving pangolins
    Choo SW, Chong JL, Gaubert P, Hughes AC, O'Brien S, Chaber AL, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2022 Feb 14.
    PMID: 35176378 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153666
  2. Fulltext Metagenomic sequencing of prokaryotic microbiota from tropical surface seawater
    Chan XY, Arumugam R, Choo SW, Yin WF, Chan KG
    Genome Announc, 2013;1(4).
    PMID: 23950114 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00540-13
    Tropical seawater harbors a rich diversity of microorganisms as a result of its nutrient-rich environment, constant supply of sufficient sunlight, and warm climate. In this report, we present the complexity of the microbial diversity of the surface seawater of the Georgetown coast as determined using next-generation sequencing technology.
  3. Whole-genome sequence analysis and exploration of the zoonotic potential of a rat-borne Bartonella elizabethae
    Tay ST, Kho KL, Wee WY, Choo SW
    Acta Trop, 2016 Mar;155:25-33.
    PMID: 26658020 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2015.11.019
    Bartonella elizabethae has been known to cause endocarditis and neuroretinitis in humans. The genomic features and virulence profiles of a B. elizabethae strain (designated as BeUM) isolated from the spleen of a wild rat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are described in this study. The BeUM strain has a genome size of 1,932,479bp and GC content of 38.3%. There is a high degree of conservation between the genomes of strain BeUM with B. elizabethae type strains (ATCC 49927 and F9251) and a rat-borne strain, Re6043vi. Of 2137 gene clusters identified from B. elizabethae strains, 2064 (96.6%) are indicated as the core gene clusters. Comparative genome analysis of B. elizabethae strains reveals virulence genes which are known in other pathogenic Bartonella species, including VirB2-11, vbhB2-B11, VirD4, trw, vapA2-5, hbpA-E, bepA-F, bepH, badA/vomp/brp, ialB, omp43/89 and korA-B. A putative intact prophage has been identified in the strain BeUM, in addition to a 8kb pathogenicity island. The whole genome analysis supports the zoonotic potential of the rodent-borne B. elizabethae, and provides basis for future functional and pathogenicity studies of B. elizabethae.
  4. Fulltext Comparative genomic analysis of Mycobacterium iranicum UM_TJL against representative mycobacterial species suggests its environmental origin
    Tan JL, Ngeow YF, Wee WY, Wong GJ, Ng HF, Choo SW
    Sci Rep, 2014;4:7169.
    PMID: 25417557 DOI: 10.1038/srep07169
    Mycobacterium iranicum is a newly reported mycobacterial species. We present the first comparative study of M. iranicum UM_TJL and other mycobacteria. We found M. iranicum to have a close genetic association with environmental mycobacteria infrequently associated with human infections. Nonetheless, UM_TJL is also equipped with many virulence genes (some of which appear to be the consequence of transduction-related gene transfer) that have been identified in established human pathogens. Taken all together, our data suggest that M. iranicum is an environmental bacterium adapted for pathogenicity in the human host. This comparative study provides important clues and forms the basis for future functional studies on this mycobacterium.
  5. Fulltext FusoBase: an online Fusobacterium comparative genomic analysis platform
    Ang MY, Heydari H, Jakubovics NS, Mahmud MI, Dutta A, Wee WY, et al.
    Database (Oxford), 2014;2014.
    PMID: 25149689 DOI: 10.1093/database/bau082
    Fusobacterium are anaerobic gram-negative bacteria that have been associated with a wide spectrum of human infections and diseases. As the biology of Fusobacterium is still not well understood, comparative genomic analysis on members of this species will provide further insights on their taxonomy, phylogeny, pathogenicity and other information that may contribute to better management of infections and diseases. To facilitate the ongoing genomic research on Fusobacterium, a specialized database with easy-to-use analysis tools is necessary. Here we present FusoBase, an online database providing access to genome-wide annotated sequences of Fusobacterium strains as well as bioinformatics tools, to support the expanding scientific community. Using our custom-developed Pairwise Genome Comparison tool, we demonstrate how differences between two user-defined genomes and how insertion of putative prophages can be identified. In addition, Pathogenomics Profiling Tool is capable of clustering predicted genes across Fusobacterium strains and visualizing the results in the form of a heat map with dendrogram.
  6. Fulltext StaphyloBase: a specialized genomic resource for the staphylococcal research community
    Heydari H, Mutha NV, Mahmud MI, Siow CC, Wee WY, Wong GJ, et al.
    Database (Oxford), 2014;2014:bau010.
    PMID: 24578355 DOI: 10.1093/database/bau010
    With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies, many staphylococcal genomes have been sequenced. Comparative analysis of these strains will provide better understanding of their biology, phylogeny, virulence and taxonomy, which may contribute to better management of diseases caused by staphylococcal pathogens. We developed StaphyloBase with the goal of having a one-stop genomic resource platform for the scientific community to access, retrieve, download, browse, search, visualize and analyse the staphylococcal genomic data and annotations. We anticipate this resource platform will facilitate the analysis of staphylococcal genomic data, particularly in comparative analyses. StaphyloBase currently has a collection of 754 032 protein-coding sequences (CDSs), 19 258 rRNAs and 15 965 tRNAs from 292 genomes of different staphylococcal species. Information about these features is also included, such as putative functions, subcellular localizations and gene/protein sequences. Our web implementation supports diverse query types and the exploration of CDS- and RNA-type information in detail using an AJAX-based real-time search system. JBrowse has also been incorporated to allow rapid and seamless browsing of staphylococcal genomes. The Pairwise Genome Comparison tool is designed for comparative genomic analysis, for example, to reveal the relationships between two user-defined staphylococcal genomes. A newly designed Pathogenomics Profiling Tool (PathoProT) is also included in this platform to facilitate comparative pathogenomics analysis of staphylococcal strains. In conclusion, StaphyloBase offers access to a range of staphylococcal genomic resources as well as analysis tools for comparative analyses. Database URL: http://staphylococcus.um.edu.my/.
  7. Fulltext Genome Sequence of Parvimonas micra Strain A293, Isolated from an Abdominal Abscess from a Patient in the United Kingdom
    Ang MY, Dymock D, Tan JL, Thong MH, Tan QK, Wong GJ, et al.
    Genome Announc, 2013;1(6).
    PMID: 24309744 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.01025-13
    Parvimonas micra is an important oral microbe that has the ability to grow and proliferate within oral biofilms and is involved in periodontal disease, leading to gingival bleeding, gingival recession, alveolar bone loss, and tooth mobility. However, occasionally these normally oral pathogens can cause infections at other sites in the body. We present the genome sequence of Parvimonas micra strain A293, a smooth Parvimonas micra strain isolated from an abdominal abscess from a patient at Barts Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
  8. Fulltext Genome Sequence of Fusobacterium nucleatum Strain W1481, a Possible New Subspecies Isolated from a Periodontal Pocket
    Ang MY, Dymock D, Tan JL, Thong MH, Tan QK, Wong GJ, et al.
    Genome Announc, 2014;2(1).
    PMID: 24526626 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00009-14
    Fusobacterium nucleatum is a bacterial species commonly detected in dental plaque within the human oral cavity, with some strains associated with periodontal disease, one of the most common clinical bacterial infections in the human body. The exact mechanisms of its pathogenesis are still not completely understood. In this study, we present the genome sequence and annotation of F. nucleatum strain W1481, isolated from a periodontal pocket of a dental patient at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, the 16S rRNA gene sequencing of which showed it to be markedly different from the five previously named subspecies.
  9. Fulltext CoryneBase: Corynebacterium genomic resources and analysis tools at your fingertips
    Heydari H, Siow CC, Tan MF, Jakubovics NS, Wee WY, Mutha NV, et al.
    PLoS One, 2014;9(1):e86318.
    PMID: 24466021 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086318
    Corynebacteria are used for a wide variety of industrial purposes but some species are associated with human diseases. With increasing number of corynebacterial genomes having been sequenced, comparative analysis of these strains may provide better understanding of their biology, phylogeny, virulence and taxonomy that may lead to the discoveries of beneficial industrial strains or contribute to better management of diseases. To facilitate the ongoing research of corynebacteria, a specialized central repository and analysis platform for the corynebacterial research community is needed to host the fast-growing amount of genomic data and facilitate the analysis of these data. Here we present CoryneBase, a genomic database for Corynebacterium with diverse functionality for the analysis of genomes aimed to provide: (1) annotated genome sequences of Corynebacterium where 165,918 coding sequences and 4,180 RNAs can be found in 27 species; (2) access to comprehensive Corynebacterium data through the use of advanced web technologies for interactive web interfaces; and (3) advanced bioinformatic analysis tools consisting of standard BLAST for homology search, VFDB BLAST for sequence homology search against the Virulence Factor Database (VFDB), Pairwise Genome Comparison (PGC) tool for comparative genomic analysis, and a newly designed Pathogenomics Profiling Tool (PathoProT) for comparative pathogenomic analysis. CoryneBase offers the access of a range of Corynebacterium genomic resources as well as analysis tools for comparative genomics and pathogenomics. It is publicly available at http://corynebacterium.um.edu.my/.
  10. Fulltext A phylogenomic approach to bacterial subspecies classification: proof of concept in Mycobacterium abscessus
    Tan JL, Khang TF, Ngeow YF, Choo SW
    BMC Genomics, 2013;14:879.
    PMID: 24330254 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-879
    Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacterium that is often associated with human infections. The taxonomy of this species has undergone several revisions and is still being debated. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of 12 M. abscessus strains and used phylogenomic analysis to perform subspecies classification.
  11. Fulltext First Whole-Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium iranicum, a Newly Reported Mycobacterial Species
    Tan JL, Ng HF, Wee WY, Ang MY, Wong GJ, Ngeow YF, et al.
    Genome Announc, 2013;1(5).
    PMID: 24072861 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00732-13
    Mycobacterium iranicum is a new species of nontuberculous mycobacterium reported in 2013. Here, we describe the first whole-genome sequence of this species, that of M. iranicum strain UM_TJL, isolated from a patient in Malaysia.
  12. Fulltext Draft Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium massiliense Strain M159, Showing Phenotypic Resistance to β-Lactam and Tetracycline Antibiotics
    Ngeow YF, Leong ML, Wong YL, Wong GJ, Tan JL, Wee WY, et al.
    Genome Announc, 2013;1(4).
    PMID: 23990576 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00669-13
    Mycobacterium massiliense is a nontuberculous mycobacterium associated with human infections. We report here the draft genome sequence of M. massiliense strain M159, isolated from the bronchial aspirate of a patient who had a pulmonary infection. This strain showed genotypic and in vitro resistance to a number of tetracyclines and beta-lactam antibiotics.
  13. Fulltext MabsBase: a Mycobacterium abscessus genome and annotation database
    Heydari H, Wee WY, Lokanathan N, Hari R, Mohamed Yusoff A, Beh CY, et al.
    PLoS One, 2013;8(4):e62443.
    PMID: 23658631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062443
    Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacterial species that has been associated with a wide spectrum of human infections. As the classification and biology of this organism is still not well understood, comparative genomic analysis on members of this species may provide further insights on their taxonomy, phylogeny, pathogenicity and other information that may contribute to better management of infections. The MabsBase described in this paper is a user-friendly database providing access to whole-genome sequences of newly discovered M. abscessus strains as well as resources for whole-genome annotations and computational predictions, to support the expanding scientific community interested in M. abscessus research. The MabsBase is freely available at http://mabscessus.um.edu.my.
  14. Fulltext Development of ListeriaBase and comparative analysis of Listeria monocytogenes
    Tan MF, Siow CC, Dutta A, Mutha NV, Wee WY, Heydari H, et al.
    BMC Genomics, 2015;16:755.
    PMID: 26444974 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1959-5
    Listeria consists of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Reports of similarities between the genomic content between some pathogenic and non-pathogenic species necessitates the investigation of these species at the genomic level to understand the evolution of virulence-associated genes. With Listeria genome data growing exponentially, comparative genomic analysis may give better insights into evolution, genetics and phylogeny of Listeria spp., leading to better management of the diseases caused by them.
  15. Fulltext NeisseriaBase: a specialised Neisseria genomic resource and analysis platform
    Zheng W, Mutha NV, Heydari H, Dutta A, Siow CC, Jakubovics NS, et al.
    PeerJ, 2016;4:e1698.
    PMID: 27017950 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1698
    Background. The gram-negative Neisseria is associated with two of the most potent human epidemic diseases: meningococcal meningitis and gonorrhoea. In both cases, disease is caused by bacteria colonizing human mucosal membrane surfaces. Overall, the genus shows great diversity and genetic variation mainly due to its ability to acquire and incorporate genetic material from a diverse range of sources through horizontal gene transfer. Although a number of databases exist for the Neisseria genomes, they are mostly focused on the pathogenic species. In this present study we present the freely available NeisseriaBase, a database dedicated to the genus Neisseria encompassing the complete and draft genomes of 15 pathogenic and commensal Neisseria species. Methods. The genomic data were retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and annotated using the RAST server which were then stored into the MySQL database. The protein-coding genes were further analyzed to obtain information such as calculation of GC content (%), predicted hydrophobicity and molecular weight (Da) using in-house Perl scripts. The web application was developed following the secure four-tier web application architecture: (1) client workstation, (2) web server, (3) application server, and (4) database server. The web interface was constructed using PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, AJAX and CSS, utilizing the model-view-controller (MVC) framework. The in-house developed bioinformatics tools implemented in NeisseraBase were developed using Python, Perl, BioPerl and R languages. Results. Currently, NeisseriaBase houses 603,500 Coding Sequences (CDSs), 16,071 RNAs and 13,119 tRNA genes from 227 Neisseria genomes. The database is equipped with interactive web interfaces. Incorporation of the JBrowse genome browser in the database enables fast and smooth browsing of Neisseria genomes. NeisseriaBase includes the standard BLAST program to facilitate homology searching, and for Virulence Factor Database (VFDB) specific homology searches, the VFDB BLAST is also incorporated into the database. In addition, NeisseriaBase is equipped with in-house designed tools such as the Pairwise Genome Comparison tool (PGC) for comparative genomic analysis and the Pathogenomics Profiling Tool (PathoProT) for the comparative pathogenomics analysis of Neisseria strains. Discussion. This user-friendly database not only provides access to a host of genomic resources on Neisseria but also enables high-quality comparative genome analysis, which is crucial for the expanding scientific community interested in Neisseria research. This database is freely available at http://neisseria.um.edu.my.
  16. Fulltext Whole-Genome Sequencing and Comparative Analysis of Mycobacterium brisbanense Reveals a Possible Soil Origin and Capability in Fertiliser Synthesis
    Wee WY, Tan TK, Jakubovics NS, Choo SW
    PLoS One, 2016;11(3):e0152682.
    PMID: 27031249 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152682
    Mycobacterium brisbanense is a member of Mycobacterium fortuitum third biovariant complex, which includes rapidly growing Mycobacterium spp. that normally inhabit soil, dust and water, and can sometimes cause respiratory tract infections in humans. We present the first whole-genome analysis of M. brisbanense UM_WWY which was isolated from a 70-year-old Malaysian patient. Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirmed the identification of this strain as M. brisbanense and showed that it has an unusually large genome compared with related mycobacteria. The large genome size of M. brisbanense UM_WWY (~7.7Mbp) is consistent with further findings that this strain has a highly variable genome structure that contains many putative horizontally transferred genomic islands and prophage. Comparative analysis showed that M. brisbanense UM_WWY is the only Mycobacterium species that possesses a complete set of genes encoding enzymes involved in the urea cycle, suggesting that this soil bacterium is able to synthesize urea for use as plant fertilizers. It is likely that M. brisbanense UM_WWY is adapted to live in soil as its primary habitat since the genome contains many genes associated with nitrogen metabolism. Nevertheless, a large number of predicted virulence genes were identified in M. brisbanense UM_WWY that are mostly shared with well-studied mycobacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium abscessus. These findings are consistent with the role of M. brisbanense as an opportunistic pathogen of humans. The whole-genome study of UM_WWY has provided the basis for future work of M. brisbanense.
  17. Fulltext StreptoBase: An Oral Streptococcus mitis Group Genomic Resource and Analysis Platform
    Zheng W, Tan TK, Paterson IC, Mutha NV, Siow CC, Tan SY, et al.
    PLoS One, 2016;11(5):e0151908.
    PMID: 27138013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151908
    The oral streptococci are spherical Gram-positive bacteria categorized under the phylum Firmicutes which are among the most common causative agents of bacterial infective endocarditis (IE) and are also important agents in septicaemia in neutropenic patients. The Streptococcus mitis group is comprised of 13 species including some of the most common human oral colonizers such as S. mitis, S. oralis, S. sanguinis and S. gordonii as well as species such as S. tigurinus, S. oligofermentans and S. australis that have only recently been classified and are poorly understood at present. We present StreptoBase, which provides a specialized free resource focusing on the genomic analyses of oral species from the mitis group. It currently hosts 104 S. mitis group genomes including 27 novel mitis group strains that we sequenced using the high throughput Illumina HiSeq technology platform, and provides a comprehensive set of genome sequences for analyses, particularly comparative analyses and visualization of both cross-species and cross-strain characteristics of S. mitis group bacteria. StreptoBase incorporates sophisticated in-house designed bioinformatics web tools such as Pairwise Genome Comparison (PGC) tool and Pathogenomic Profiling Tool (PathoProT), which facilitate comparative pathogenomics analysis of Streptococcus strains. Examples are provided to demonstrate how StreptoBase can be employed to compare genome structure of different S. mitis group bacteria and putative virulence genes profile across multiple streptococcal strains. In conclusion, StreptoBase offers access to a range of streptococci genomic resources as well as analysis tools and will be an invaluable platform to accelerate research in streptococci. Database URL: http://streptococcus.um.edu.my.
  18. Fulltext Comprehensive genome analysis of a pangolin-associated Paraburkholderia fungorum provides new insights into its secretion systems and virulence
    Tan KY, Dutta A, Tan TK, Hari R, Othman RY, Choo SW
    PeerJ, 2020;8:e9733.
    PMID: 32953261 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9733
    Background: Paraburkholderia fungorum (P. fungorum) is a Gram-negative environmental species that has been commonly used as a beneficial microorganism in agriculture as an agent for biocontrol and bioremediation. Its use in agriculture is controversial as many people believe that it could harm human health; however, there is no clear evidence to support.

    Methodology: The pangolin P. fungorum (pangolin Pf) genome has a genomic size of approximately 7.7 Mbps with N50 of 69,666 bps. Our study showed that pangolin Pf is a Paraburkholderia fungorum supported by evidence from the core genome SNP-based phylogenetic analysis and the ANI analysis. Functional analysis has shown that the presence of a considerably large number of genes related to stress response, virulence, disease, and defence. Interestingly, we identified different types of secretion systems in the genome of pangolin Pf, which are highly specialized and responsible for a bacterium's response to its environment and in physiological processes such as survival, adhesion, and adaptation. The pangolin Pf also shared some common virulence genes with the known pathogenic member of the Burkholderiales. These genes play important roles in adhesion, motility, and invasion.

    Conclusion: This study may provide better insights into the functions, secretion systems and virulence of this pangolin-associated bacterial strain. The addition of this genome sequence is also important for future comparative analysis and functional work of P. fungorum.

  19. Fulltext Comparative genome sequencing and analyses of Mycobacterium cosmeticum reveal potential for biodesulfization of gasoline
    Wee WY, Dutta A, Jayaraj J, Choo SW
    PLoS One, 2019;14(4):e0214663.
    PMID: 30964891 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214663
    Mycobacterium cosmeticum is a nontuberculous Mycobacterium recovered from different water sources including household potable water and water collected at nail salon. Individual cases of this bacterium have been reported to be associated with gastrointestinal tract infections. Here we present the first whole-genome study and comparative analysis of two new clinically-derived Mycobacterium sp. UM_RHS (referred as UM_RHS after this) and Mycobacterium sp. UM_NYF (referred as UM_NYF after this) isolated from patients in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively to have a better understanding of the biological characteristic of these isolates. Both strains are likely Mycobacterium cosmeticum as supported by the evidence from molecular phylogenetic, comparative genomic and Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) analyses. We found the presence of a considerably large number of putative virulence genes in the genomes of UM_RHS and UM_NYF. Interestingly, we also found a horizontally transferred genomic island carrying a putative dsz operon proposing that they may have potential to perform biodesulfization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) that may be effective in cost reduction and air pollution during fuel combustion. This comparative study may provide new insights into M. cosmeticum and serve as an important reference for future functional studies of this bacterial species.
  20. Fulltext Genome sequence of Mycobacterium abscessus strain M152
    Ngeow YF, Wong YL, Tan JL, Ong CS, Ng KP, Choo SW
    J Bacteriol, 2012 Dec;194(23):6662.
    PMID: 23144407 DOI: 10.1128/JB.01846-12
    Mycobacterium abscessus is an environmental bacterium with increasing clinical relevance. Here, we report the annotated whole-genome sequence of M. abscessus strain M152.
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