Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are mobile genetic elements that transfer from cell to cell by conjugation (like plasmids) and integrate into the chromosomes of bacterial hosts (like lysogenic phages or transposons). ICEs are prevalent in bacterial chro...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/132387 |
| _version_ | 1811073221974294528 |
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| author | Avello, Monika Davis, Kathleen P Grossman, Alan D |
| author_facet | Avello, Monika Davis, Kathleen P Grossman, Alan D |
| author_sort | Avello, Monika |
| collection | MIT |
| description | © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are mobile genetic elements that transfer from cell to cell by conjugation (like plasmids) and integrate into the chromosomes of bacterial hosts (like lysogenic phages or transposons). ICEs are prevalent in bacterial chromosomes and play a major role in bacterial evolution by promoting horizontal gene transfer. Exclusion prevents the redundant transfer of conjugative elements into host cells that already contain a copy of the element. Exclusion has been characterized mostly for conjugative elements of Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we report the identification and characterization of an exclusion mechanism in ICEBs1 from the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We found that cells containing ICEBs1 inhibit the activity of the ICEBs1-encoded conjugation machinery in other cells. This inhibition (exclusion) was specific to the cognate conjugation machinery and the ICEBs1 gene yddJ was both necessary and sufficient to mediate exclusion by recipient cells. Through a mutagenesis and enrichment screen, we identified exclusion-resistant mutations in the ICEBs1 gene conG. Using genes from a heterologous but related ICE, we found that the exclusion specificity was determined by ConG and YddJ. Finally, we found that under conditions that support conjugation, exclusion provides a selective advantage to the element and its host cells. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:30:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/132387 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:30:12Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1323872021-09-21T03:58:22Z Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis Avello, Monika Davis, Kathleen P Grossman, Alan D © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are mobile genetic elements that transfer from cell to cell by conjugation (like plasmids) and integrate into the chromosomes of bacterial hosts (like lysogenic phages or transposons). ICEs are prevalent in bacterial chromosomes and play a major role in bacterial evolution by promoting horizontal gene transfer. Exclusion prevents the redundant transfer of conjugative elements into host cells that already contain a copy of the element. Exclusion has been characterized mostly for conjugative elements of Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we report the identification and characterization of an exclusion mechanism in ICEBs1 from the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We found that cells containing ICEBs1 inhibit the activity of the ICEBs1-encoded conjugation machinery in other cells. This inhibition (exclusion) was specific to the cognate conjugation machinery and the ICEBs1 gene yddJ was both necessary and sufficient to mediate exclusion by recipient cells. Through a mutagenesis and enrichment screen, we identified exclusion-resistant mutations in the ICEBs1 gene conG. Using genes from a heterologous but related ICE, we found that the exclusion specificity was determined by ConG and YddJ. Finally, we found that under conditions that support conjugation, exclusion provides a selective advantage to the element and its host cells. 2021-09-20T18:22:09Z 2021-09-20T18:22:09Z 2020-10-19T14:20:13Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/132387 en 10.1111/MMI.14359 Molecular Microbiology Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf Wiley PMC |
| spellingShingle | Avello, Monika Davis, Kathleen P Grossman, Alan D Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis |
| title | Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis |
| title_full | Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis |
| title_fullStr | Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis |
| title_short | Identification, characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis |
| title_sort | identification characterization and benefits of an exclusion system in an integrative and conjugative element of bacillus subtilis |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/132387 |
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