A few years ago, some of us commented on and joked about the plethora of
authors whose names are beginning to appear on research papers. This latest
one (shown below) may establish a world record number of co-authors - has
anyone encountered a more encyclopaedic list anywhere yet? Isn't this
business of academic credit points growing far too unwieldy and possibly
ridiculous nowadays?
Suppose that a scientist in the military conducts research with whole army
divisions, many of whom make some or other contribution to the experimental
design, management, analysis, recording, discussion and computation of a very
intricate topic - should the paper contain a whole list of hundreds of
authors and co-authors?
Should journals begin to make some sort of stipulation about who should
qualify as co-authors? Has the idea of "Publish or Perish" now gone beyond
the bounds of all good sense?
---------------------------------------------------
Nature 406, 151 - 157 (2000) 13 July 2000
The genome sequence of the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa
A. J. G. SIMPSON, F.C. REINACH, P. ARRUDA, F. A. ABREU, M. ACENCIO,
R. ALVARENGA, L. M. C. ALVES, J. E. ARAYA, G. S. BAIA, C. S. BAPTISTA,
M. H. BARROS, E. D. BONACCORSI, S. BORDIN, J. M. BOVÉ, M. R. S. BRIONES,
M. R. P. BUENO, A. A. CAMARGO, L. E. A. CAMARGO, D. M. CARRARO, H. CARRER,
N. B. COLAUTO, C. COLOMBO, F. F. COSTA, M. C. R. COSTA, C. M. COSTA-NETO,
L. L. COUTINHO, M. CRISTOFANI, E. DIAS-NETO, C. DOCENA, H. EL-DORRY,
A. P. FACINCANI, A. J. S. FERREIRA, V. C. A. FERREIRA, J. A. FERRO,
J. S. FRAGA, S. C. FRANÇA, M. C. FRANCO, M. FROHME, L. R. FURLAN, M. GARNIER,
G. H. GOLDMAN, M. H. S. GOLDMAN, S. L. GOMES, A. GRUBER, P. L. HO,
J. D. HOHEISEL, M. L. JUNQUEIRA, E. L. KEMPER, J.P. KITAJIMA, J. E. KRIEGER,
E. E. KURAMAE, F. LAIGRET, M. R. LAMBAIS, L. C. C. LEITE, E. G. M. LEMOS,
M. V. F. LEMOS, S. A. LOPES, C. R. LOPES, J. A. MACHADO, M. A. MACHADO,
A. M. B. N. MADEIRA, H. M. F. MADEIRA, C. L. MARINO, M. V. MARQUES,
E. A. L. MARTINS, E. M. F. MARTINS, A. Y. MATSUKUMA, C. F. M. MENCK,
E. C. MIRACCA, C. Y. MIYAKI, C. B. MONTEIRO-VITORELLO, D. H. MOON,
M. A. NAGAI, A. L. T. O. NASCIMENTO, L. E. S. NETTO, A. NHANI, F. G. NOBREGA,
L. R. NUNES, M. A. OLIVEIRA, M. C. DE OLIVEIRA, R. C. DE OLIVEIRA,
D. A. PALMIERI, A. PARIS, B. R. PEIXOTO, G. A. G. PEREIRA, H. A. PEREIRA,
J. B. PESQUERO, R. B. QUAGGIO, P. G. ROBERTO, V. RODRIGUES, A. J. DE M. ROSA,
V. E. DE ROSA, R. G. DE SÁ, R. V. SANTELLI, H. E. SAWASAKI,
A. C. R. DA SILVA, A. M. DA SILVA, F. R. DA SILVA, W. A. SILVA,
J. F. DA SILVEIRA, M. L. Z. SILVESTRI, W. J. SIQUEIRA, A. A. DE SOUZA,
A. P. DE SOUZA, M. F. TERENZI, D. TRUFFI, S. M. TSAI, M. H. TSUHAKO,
H. VALLADA, M. A. VAN SLUYS, S. VERJOVSKI-ALMEIDA, A. L. VETTORE, M. A. ZAGO,
M. ZATZ, J. MEIDANIS & J. C. SETUBAL
Xylella fastidiosa is a fastidious, xylem-limited bacterium that causes a
range of economically important plant diseases. Here we report the complete
genome sequence of X. fastidiosa clone 9a5c, which causes citrus variegated
chlorosis—a serious disease of orange trees. The genome comprises a 52.7%
GC-rich 2,679,305-base-pair (bp) circular chromosome and two plasmids of
51,158 bp and 1,285 bp. We can assign putative functions to 47% of the 2,904
predicted coding regions. Efficient metabolic functions are predicted, with
sugars as the principal energy and carbon source, supporting existence in the
nutrient-poor xylem sap. The mechanisms associated with pathogenicity and
virulence involve toxins, antibiotics and ion sequestration systems, as well
as bacterium–bacterium and bacterium–host interactions mediated by a range
of proteins. Orthologues of some of these proteins have only been identified
in animal and human pathogens; their presence in X. fastidiosa indicates
that the molecular basis for bacterial pathogenicity is both conserved and
independent of host. At least 83 genes are bacteriophage-derived and include
virulence-associated genes from other bacteria, providing direct evidence of
phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer.
-----------------------------------------------------
Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA
[log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|