Genome evolution in host-adapted bacteria

The availability of a large number of microbial genomes from a broad range of organisms has shaped our understanding of the dynamics of genome structure from pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. The close adaptation towards a host in a symbiotic or pathogenic relationship results in small, minimalist genomes. The genomes from related host-adapted and potentially free-living bacteria are studied to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms that have driven the speciation process from free-living last common ancestors to the obligatory pathogenic species that we see today.