ISMh2, a novel insertion sequence-like element associated with nifA from Mesorhizobium huakuii

Sequence analysis of the nifA gene, including its 5' flanking region, of Mesorhizobium huakuii revealed the presence of a novel IS-like element called ISMh2. It is 828 bp in length and possesses two imperfect terminal inverted repeats of 14 bp with only one mismatch. The putative transposase encoded by ISMh2 is composed of 204 amino acids. In comparison with other insertion sequences ISMh2 likely belongs to the IS6 family. Multiple copies of ISMh2 were detected in the genome of M. huakuii 159 by Southern hybridization. RT-PCR analysis showed that nifA and ISMh2 cotranscribed. Attempts to detect the transposition ability of ISMh2 were unsuccessful.     

Cloning and sequencing of IS1086, an Alcaligenes eutrophus insertion element related to IS30 and IS4351.

A new insertion sequence (IS), designated IS1086, was isolated from Alcaligenes eutrophus CH34 by being trapped in plasmid pJV240, which contains the Bacillus subtilis sacB and sacR genes. The 1,106-bp IS1086 element contains partially matched (22 of 28 bp) terminal-inverted repeats and a long open reading frame. Hybridization data suggest the presence of one copy of IS1086 in the strain CH34 heavy-metal resistance plasmid pMOL28 and at least two copies in its chromosome. Analysis of the IS1086 nucleotide sequence revealed striking homology with two other IS elements, IS30 and IS4351, suggesting that they are three close members in a family of phylogenetically related insertion sequences. One open reading frame of the Spiroplasma citri phage SpV1-R8A2 B was also found to be related to this IS family but to a lesser extent. Comparison of the G+C contents of IS30 and IS1086 revealed that they conform to their respective hosts (46 versus 50% for IS30 and Escherichia coli and 64.5% for IS1086 and A. eutrophus). The pressure on the AT/GC ratio led to a very different codon usage in these two closely related IS elements. Results suggesting that IS1086 transposition might be activated by some forms of stress are discussed.     

Isolation and diagnostic potential of ISMav2, a novel insertion sequence-like element from Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis

A novel Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (M. paratuberculosis) specific insertion sequence has been identified by representational difference analysis and designated as ISMav2. ISMav2 has no similarity to known mycobacterial IS elements but shows more than 50% identity to a non-composite transposon of Streptomyces coelicolor at the DNA and protein level. ISMav2 is present in at least three copies on the genome as assessed by Southern blot analysis and its potential value as a diagnostic tool was confirmed by PCR analyses on 79 M. paratuberculosis field isolates, nine M. avium ssp. avium isolates, and the reference strains of nine other mycobacterial species.     

Identification of a new insertion element, similar to gram-negative IS26, on the lactose plasmid of Streptococcus lactis ML3.

In Streptococcus lactis ML3, the lactose plasmid (pSK08) forms cointegrates with a conjugal plasmid (pRS01). It has been proposed that cointegration is mediated by insertion sequences (IS) present on pSK08 (D. G. Anderson and L.L. McKay, J. Bacteriol. 158:954-962, 1984). We examined the junction regions of the cointegrate pPW2 and the corresponding regions of pSK08 (donor) and pRS01 (target) and identified a new IS element on pSK08 (ISS1S) which was involved in and duplicated during formation of pPW2. ISS1S was 808 base pairs (bp) in size, had 18-bp inverted repeats (GGTTCTGTTGCAAAGTTT) at its ends, contained a single long open reading frame encoding a putative protein of 226 amino acids, and generated 8-bp direct repeats of target DNA during cointegrate formation. An iso-IS element, ISS1T, which is duplicated in some other cointegrate plasmids, was also found on pSK08. ISS1T was also 808 bp in size and was identical to ISS1S in sequence except for 4 bp, none of which altered the inverted repeats or amino acid sequence of the open reading frame. Comparison of ISS1 with gram-negative IS26 revealed strong homologies in size (820 bp), sequence of inverted repeats (GGCACTGTTGCAAA), size of direct repeats generated after cointegration (8 bp), and number, size, and amino acid sequence (44.5% identical) of the open reading of frame.     

IS861, a group B streptococcal insertion sequence related to IS150 and IS3 of Escherichia coli.

A 1,442-base-pair (bp) insertion sequence (IS861) was identified in the type III group B streptococcal (GBS) strain COH-1. It is flanked by 26-bp imperfect inverted repeats and contains two open reading frames, 1 and 2, encoding 141- and 277-amino-acid proteins, respectively. A 3-bp target sequence, ACA, is duplicated and flanks each inverted repeat. IS861 shares greater than 30% homology with IS3 and IS150 of Escherichia coli, primarily in the region of their putative transposases. Northern (RNA) analysis revealed that RNA is actively transcribed in vivo by IS861 and 17- and 36-kilodalton proteins were synthesized in E. coli maxicell assays. Multiple copies of IS861 were observed throughout the chromosome of COH-1, and one of the copies is located near genes involved in GBS capsule synthesis. IS861 is the first insertion sequence identified in GBS. Its role in GBS and the significance of its relationship to the phylogenetically similar insertion sequences typified by IS150 and IS3 of E. coli are unknown.     

IS801, an insertion sequence element isolated from Pseudomonas syringae pathovar phaseolicola

A transposable element, designated IS801, was isolated from strain LR781 of Pseudomonas syringae pathovar phaseolicola in two independent events using the entrapment plasmid, pUCD800. IS801 is 1517 base pairs in length and contains open reading frames that potentially encode proteins of 311 and 172 amino acids, as well as smaller proteins. Unlike most other prokaryotic transposable elements, IS801 lacks terminal repeats. Sequence analysis revealed two target pentamers for IS801 insertion that differ by one base pair. One copy of IS801 generated a perfect duplication of its target, TGAAC. The second copy of IS801 was flanked by the target, TGGAC, at one end, and TGAAC at the other end. A third copy of IS801 was cloned from pMMC7105, an indigenous plasmid of strain LR781, and it was flanked by copies of the pentamer TGAAC.     

Nucleotide sequence and characterization of a new insertion element, IS240, from Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis

The nucleotide sequence of two repeated sequences (RS) in opposite orientations flanking the 125-kDa toxin gene of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (C. Bourgouin et al., J. Bacteriol. 170, 3575-3583, 1988) is reported in this paper. The analysis of these sequences indicates that these two RS display characteristic features of bacterial insertion sequences (IS) and are therefore referred to as IS240. IS240 B is 865 bp long and has two perfect terminal-inverted repeats of 16 bp; IS240 A is 99% identical to IS240 B. A long open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 235 amino acids spans almost the entire sequence of both IS240 elements. Both the sequence of the inverted repeats and the putative transposases are homologous to IS26 of Proteus vulgaris, IS15-delta of Salmonella panama, IS431 of Staphylococcus aureus, and ISS1 of Streptococcus lactis.     

Characterization of IS666, a newly described insertion element of Mycobacterium avium

The insertion sequence IS666 was isolated from Mycobacterium avium strain 101. IS666 is a 1474 bp insertion sequence belonging to the IS256 family, that includes IS6120 from Mycobacterium smegmatis, IS1166 and IS1295 from Rhodococcus sp. IGTS8, IST2 from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, IS256 from Staphylococcus aureus, and ISRm3 from Rhizobium meliloti. IS666 has 24 bp imperfect inverted repeats that fit the consensus described for the family, and generates 9 bp duplications upon insertion into the host DNA with no apparent specificity in the target sequence. In contrast with its two closest homologues, IS1166 and IS6120, IS666 contains a single ORF that would codify a transposase of 434 aa. IS666 is restricted to M. avium, where it is present in 21% of the isolates in a number ranging between 1 to 7 copies.     

IS186: an Escherichia coli insertion element isolated from a cDNA library.

Escherichia coli IS186 was isolated from cDNA libraries made from rainbow trout RNA and maintained in E. coli RR1. The element was 1,347 base pairs in length, had a perfect inverted repeat of 25 base pairs, and had an open reading frame of 375 amino acids. The hypothetical protein sequence of IS186 had limited homology to the E. coli IS4 hypothetical protein I sequence. There were three copies of IS186 in E. coli RR1.     

Nucleotide sequence of IS26, a new prokaryotic mobile genetic element.

The DNA sequence of a new IS element, the IS26, is 820 bp long and carries 14 bp perfect terminal inverted repeats. Upon integration, IS26 generates an 8 bp duplication of its target sequence. A large open reading frame within IS26 could code for a protein of 234 amino acids. On its reverse strand, IS26 also carries one large open reading frame, 591 bp long, which contains no stop codon within IS26.     

Nucleotide-sequence of insertion element IS15 delta IV from plasmid pBP11

The nucleotide sequence of an insertion element in R-factor R1767 derivative pBP11 was determined. It is almost overall identical with IS15 delta, IS26 and IS46. Like IS46 it flanks one end of the sul-bla determinant and is involved in amplification of the resistance cassette. The significance for this process of a palindrome comprising part of IS15 delta IV is discussed.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of insertion element IS4351 from Bacteroides fragilis.

The nucleotide sequence and genetic analyses of one of the directly repeated sequences flanking the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B drug resistance determinant, ermF, from the Bacteroides fragilis R plasmid, pBF4, suggested that this region is an insertion sequence (IS) element. This 1,155-base-pair element contained partially matched (20 of 25 base pairs) terminal-inverted repeats, overlapping, anti-parallel open reading frames, and nine promoterlike sequences, including three that were oriented outward. Analysis of this sequence revealed no significant nucleotide homology to 13 other known IS elements. Inasmuch as Southern blot hybridization analysis detected homologous sequences in chromosomal DNA and its G+C content (42 mol%) was similar to that of B. fragilis, the data suggested that this element is of Bacteroides origin. Transposition promoted by this element was demonstrated in recA E. coli. Recombinants were recovered by selecting for the activation of a promoterless chloramphenicol resistance gene on the plasmid pDH5110 and were characterized by restriction endonuclease mapping and Southern blot hybridization. We propose that this IS element be designated IS4351.     

ISZm1068: an IS5-like insertion element from Zymomonas mobilis

A new insertion sequence, designated ISZm1068, was isolated from Zymomonas mobilis strain CP4. This element consists of 1,068 bp and contains one major ORF which shows similarities both at the nucleotide and at the amino acid sequence level with the corresponding ORFs encoding the transposases of many IS5 family elements, in particular the IS1031 group. Moreover, the Z. mobilis ORF shares the conserved N2, N3 and C1 signature motifs of the IS4 and IS5 families. Six out of seven Z. mobilis wild-type strains were shown by hybridisation to contain a single copy of the ISZm1068 element. Nucleotide sequences of the insertion elements from these strains exhibited extremely high levels of identity, varying from 94.25 to 99.25%. ISZm1068 was shown to be active in Escherichia coli cells and led to plasmid replicon fusions within the host cell. Sequence analysis of rare cointegration and resolution derivatives suggests that ISZm1068 has putative imperfect inverted repeats at its extremities of 18 bp (IR-right) and 14 bp (IR-left), and that a 3-bp (5'-TCA-3') target sequence is duplicated upon insertion.     

The very large amplifiable element AUD2 from Streptomyces lividans 66 has insertion sequence-like repeats at its ends.

In a spontaneous, chloramphenicol-sensitive (Cms), arginine-auxotrophic (Arg-) mutant of Streptomyces lividans 1326, two amplified DNA sequences were found. One of them was the well-characterized 5.7-kb ADS1 sequence, amplified to about 300 copies per chromosome. The second one was a 92-kb sequence called ADS2. ADS2 encoding the previously isolated mercury resistance genes of S. lividans was amplified to around 20 copies per chromosome. The complete ADS2 sequence was isolated from a genomic library of the mutant S. lividans 1326.32, constructed in the phage vector lambda EMBL4. In addition, the DNA sequences flanking the corresponding amplifiable element called AUD2 in the wild-type strain were isolated by using another genomic library prepared from S. lividans 1326 DNA. Analysis of the ends of AUD2 revealed the presence of an 846-bp sequence on both sides repeated in the same orientation. Each of the direct repeats ended with 18-bp inverted repeated sequences. This insertion sequence-like structure was confirmed by the DNA sequence determined from the amplified copy of the direct repeats which demonstrated a high degree of similarity of 65% identity in nucleic acid sequence to IS112 from Streptomyces albus. The recombination event leading to the amplification of AUD2 occurred within these direct repeats, as shown by DNA sequence analysis. The amplification of AUD2 was correlated with a deletion on one side of the flanking chromosomal region beginning very near or in the amplified DNA. Strains of S. lividans like TK20 and TK21 which are mercury sensitive have completely lost AUD2 together with flanking chromosomal DNA on one or both sides.     

Characterization of a Mycobacterium bovis BCG insertion sequence related to the IS21 family

The structure and distribution of a Mycobacterium bovis BCG insertion element of the IS21 family were investigated. Several IS21-like elements found in mycobacterial genomes were separated in four types, following their nucleic acid similarities. The M. bovis BCG IS21 element is highly similar to IS1533 (class I), 70% similar to IS1534 (class II), 52% similar to IS1532 (class III) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 54% similar to both an Mycobacterium avium serovar 2 and an M. avium silvaticum IS (class IV). The M. bovis BCG IS21 element of the class I appears to be present in a single copy in the genome of M. bovis BCG, M. bovis, M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium africanum and to be absent from all other tested species of the Corynebacteria-Mycobacteria-Nocardia group.