A gene and its product required for transposition of resistance transposon Tn2603.

Tn2603 is a multiple-resistance transposon encoding resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfonamide, and mercury and having a molecular size of 20 kilobase pairs, with 200-base-pair inverted repeats at both ends. The essential sites and functions of Tn2603 which are required for its transposition were determined through construction and characterization of various deletion mutants affecting the efficiency of transposition. Deletions were introduced in plasmid pMK1::Tn2603 by partial digestion with restriction endonuclease EcoRI in vitro. Analysis of deletion mutants showed that the inverted repeat segments at both ends of the trans-acting diffusible product(s) encoded in the right-hand side of the central portion were required for the transposition of Tn2603. An essential gene product was revealed as a protein having a molecular weight of 110,000 by analysis of polypeptides synthesized in Escherichia coli minicells. This protein was assumed to be the so-called transposase.     

IS231A from Bacillus thuringiensis is functional in Escherichia coli: transposition and insertion specificity.

A kanamycin resistance gene was introduced within the insertion sequence IS231A from Bacillus thuringiensis, and transposition of the element was demonstrated in Escherichia coli. DNA sequencing at the target sites showed that IS231A transposition results in direct repeats of variable lengths (10, 11, and 12 bp). These target sequences resemble the terminal inverted repeats of the transposon Tn4430, which are the preferred natural insertion sites of IS231 in B. thuringiensis.     

Function of the InsA gene in the IS1 element of the Tn9' transposon: influence of oligonucleotide inserts in the InsA gene on formation of simple insertions and plasmid cointegrates]

To elucidate the role of the insA reading frame in transposition of the IS1 element of the Tn9' transposon, the derivatives of plasmids pUC19::Tn9' and pUC19::IS1 have been obtained using oligonucleotide inserts of the length equal or exceeding 9 bp and equal to 10 bp. The ability of mutant variants of the Tn9' transposon and the IS1 element to form simple insertions and plasmid cointegrates was studied. To this end, experiments were performed on mobilization of the derivatives of pUC19 containing mutant variants of the IS1 element and Tn9' as well as of the plasmids pUC19::Tn9' by the conjugative plasmid pRP3.1. According to the data obtained, mutations (inserts) in the insA gene have no influence on the frequency of transposition of the IS1 element and Tn9' from the plasmid pUC19 to pRP3.1. At the same time, the frequency of transposition events of mutant variants of Tn9' from the plasmid pRP3.1 to pBR322 is more than 10 times lower in comparison with the wild type transposon. The data obtained are in accordance with the assumption that the insA gene is not essential for transposition. A hypothesis is put forward explaining the role of the insA gene product in the process of bringing together short inverted repeats of the IS1, which are the sites for the transposase to be recognized at first stages of transposition.     

Three Tn10-associated excision events: relationship to transposition and role of direct and inverted repeats

We describe three related DNA alterations associated with transposon Tn10: precise excision of Tn10, nearly precise excision of Tn10 and precise excision of the nearly precise excision remnant. DNA sequence analysis shows that each of these alterations results in excision of all or part of the Tn10 element, and each involves specific repeat sequences at or near the ends of the element. Furthermore, all three events are structurally analogous: in each case, excision occurs between two short direct-repeat sequences, with resulting deletion of all intervening material plus one copy of the direct repeat; and in all three cases, the direct repeats involved occur at either end of an inverted repeat. Analysis of mutant Tn10 elements and characterization of bacterial host mutations suggest that all three types of excision events occur by pathways that are fundamentally distinct from the pathway(s) for Tn10-promoted transposition and other DNA rearrangements (deletions and inversions) actively promoted by the element. In addition, precise excision and nearly precise excision appear to occur by very closely related or identical pathways; and several lines of evidence suggest that the 1400 bp inverted repeats at the ends of Tn10 may play a structural role in both of these events. The third excision event appears to occur by yet another pathway.     

Characterization of in vitro constructed IS30-flanked transposons

In order to facilitate functional studies on the mobile genetic element IS30, a resident of the Escherichia coli chromosome, transposon structures with two copies of IS30 flanking the chloramphenicol-resistance gene cat were constructed in vitro. Transposons containing IS30 as direct repeats (Tn2700 and Tn2702) transpose from multicopy plasmids into the genome of phage P1-15, thus giving rise to special transduction for cat with frequencies between 10(-5) and 10(-8)/plaque-forming unit. In contrast, transposon structures with IS30 in inverted repeat (Tn2701 and Tn2703) showed no detectable (less than 10(-9] transposition activity in vivo. By restriction analysis, two insertion sites of Tn2700 and Tn2702 on the phage P1-15 genome were indistinguishable from those observed earlier with a single copy of the IS30 element. These two insertion sites were used several times independently by Tn2700 and Tn2702. This confirms the non-random target selection by the element and it indicates that transposition of Tn2700 and Tn2702 follows the same rules as that of IS30.     

Role of the IS50 R proteins in the promotion and control of Tn5 transposition

IS50R, the inverted repeat sequence of Tn5 which is responsible for supplying functions that promote and control Tn5 transposition, encodes two polypeptides that differ at their N terminus. Frameshift, in-frame deletion, nonsense, and missense mutations within the N terminus of protein 1 (which is not present in protein 2) were isolated and characterized. The properties of these mutations demonstrate that protein 1 is absolutely required for Tn5 transposition. None of these mutations affected the inhibitory activity of IS50, confirming that protein 2 is sufficient to mediate inhibition of Tn5 transposition. The effects on transposition of increasing the amount of protein 2 (the inhibitor) relative to protein 1 (the transposase) were also analyzed. Relatively large amounts of protein 2 were required to see a significant decrease in the transposition frequency of an element. In addition, varying the co-ordinate synthesis of the IS50 R proteins over a 30-fold range had little effect on the transposition frequency. These studies suggest that neither the wild-type synthesis rate of protein 2 relative to protein 1 nor the amount of synthesis of both IS50 R proteins is the only factor responsible for controlling the transposition frequency of a wild-type Tn5 element in Escherichia coli.     

A specific class of IS10 transposase mutants are blocked for target site interactions and promote formation of an excised transposon fragment

We report the identification and characterization of a class of IS10 transposase mutants that carry out only some of the steps required for transposition. These mutants were identified among transposition-defective mutants as a specific subclass that retains the wild-type ability to induce SOS functions in the presence of transposon ends. Mutants of this class successfully promote excision of the element from its donor site, but do not promote transfer of the transposon sequences to a target site. SOS induction presumably results from the degradation of the donor site. Uniquely among transposition-defective mutants, SOS+ Tnsp- mutants promote the formation of a new product, the excised transposon fragment (ETF), which consists of the transposon excised from the original donor molecule by double-strand breaks at the transposon ends. SOS+ Tnsp- mutants identified thus far define two patches of amino acids that might correspond to regions of different function. A single additional mutation maps within a region that is highly conserved among IS element transposases. The existence of SOS+ Tnsp- mutants and the structure of the ETF provide strong support for the previously proposed nonreplicative model of Tn10/IS10 transposition.     

Genetic and molecular characterization of Tn21, a multiple resistance transposon from R100.1.

Tge transposon Tn21 has been transposed from R100.1 to plasmid pACYC184 and, from the resulting recombinants, to plasmid R388. The sites of insertion and the orientation of the element in several pACYC184::Tn21 recombinants have been examined. Restriction enzyme analysis of these recombinants has resulted in a detailed map of Tn21; this is compared with the published maps of the relevant part of R100.1. Heteroduplex analysis has shown short inverted repeat sequences at the ends of the element. With various in vitro-generated deletion mutants of Tn21, the internal gene necessary for transposition (tnpA) was localized within the terminal 4.3 kilobases of the right-hand end of the element. Genetic analysis of transposition of Tn21 suggests that the process proceeds via cointegrates. Since the end products of transposition are simple recombinants of the element and the recipient replicon, Tn21 must contain a gene that codes for a resolvase type of activity (tnpR gene).     

IS50-mediated inverse transposition: specificity and precision

The IS50 elements, which are present as inverted repeats in the kanamycin-resistance transposon, Tn5, can move in unison carrying with them any interstitial DNA segment. In consequence, DNA molecules such as a lambda::Tn5 phage genome are composed of two overlapping transposons - the kan segment bracketed by IS50 elements (Tn5), and lambda bracketed by IS50 elements. During direct transposition, mediated by IS50 "O" (outside) ends, the kan gene is moved and the lambda vector is left behind. During inverse transposition, mediated by the "I" (inside) ends of the IS50 elements, the lambda vector segment is moved and the kan gene is left behind. Direct transposition is several orders of magnitude more frequent than inverse transposition (Isberg and Syvanen, 1981; Sasakawa and Berg, 1982). We assessed the specificity and precision of the rare events mediated by pairs of I ends by mapping and sequencing independent inverse transpositions from a lambda::Tn5 phage into the amp and tet genes of plasmid pBR322. Using restriction analyses, 32 and 40 distinct sites of insertion were found among 46 and 72 independent inverse transpositions into the amp and tet genes, respectively. Eleven sites were used in two or more insertion events, and the two sites in tet used most frequently corresponded to major hotspots for the insertion of the Tn5 (by direct transposition). The sequences of 22 sites of inverse transposition (including each of the sites used more than once) were determined, in eleven cases by analyzing both pBR322-IS50 junctions, and in eleven others by sequencing one junction. The sequence of the "I" end of IS50 was preserved and 9-bp target sequence duplications were present in every case analyzed. GC pairs were found at each end of the target sequence duplication in ten of the eleven sites used more than once, and also in seven of the other eleven sites. Our data indicate that transposition mediated by pairs of "I" ends is similar in its specificity and precision to the more frequent transposition mediated by IS50 "O" ends.     

IS10/Tn10 transposition efficiently accommodates diverse transposon end configurations.

Transposon Tn10 and its component insertion sequence IS10 move by non-replicative transposition. We have studied the array of reaction intermediates and products in a high efficiency in vitro IS10/Tn10 transposition reaction. Synapsis of two transposon ends, followed by cleavage and strand transfer, can occur very efficiently irrespective of the relative locations and orientations of the two ends. The two participating ends can occur in inverted or direct orientation on the same molecule or, most importantly, on two different molecules. This behavior contrasts sharply with that of Mu, in which transposition is strongly biased in favor of inverted repeat synapsis. Mechanistically, the absence of discrimination amongst various end configurations implies that the architecture within the IS10/Tn10 synaptic complex is relatively simple, i.e. lacking any significant intertwining of component DNA strands. Biologically these observations are important because they suggest that the IS10 insertion sequence module has considerable flexibility in the types of DNA rearrangements that it can promote. Most importantly, it now seems highly probable that a single non-replicative IS10 element can promote DNA rearrangements usually attributed to replicative transposition, i.e. adjacent deletions and cointegrates, by utilizing transposon ends on two sister chromosomes. Other events which probably also contribute to the diversity of IS10/Tn10-promoted rearrangements are discussed.     

Regulation of Tn5 by the right-repeat proteins: Control at the level of the transposition reaction?

The transposon Tn5 consists of inverted repeats, called IS50R and IS50L, each of which encode two proteins. We show here that the larger protein encoded on IS50R, protein 1, is absolutely required for transposition. Deletion or insertion mutants that fail to make this protein fail to promote gene movement. In addition, this protein acts in cis preferentially. We also show that the smaller protein encoded on IS50R, protein 2, is competent to inhibit transposition of a Tn5 freshly introduced into the cell on a λ phage. In contrast, the proteins from IS50L possess neither of these two activities. By assaying expression of proteins that are hybrids between β-galactosidase and IS50R proteins, we find that the regulation of transposition cannot be due to the inhibitor repressing synthesis of Tn5 proteins. Control experiments, in which we assay synthesis of IS50 proteins synthesized from a λ::IS50R that has been infected into cells carrying the transposition inhibitor, confirm this conclusion.     

The regulatory role of the IS 1-encoded InsA protein in transposition

We show here that the protein InsA, which is encoded by IS 1 and binds specifically to the terminal inverted repeats of this insertion sequence, negatively regulates IS 1 transposition activity. We demonstrate that it inhibits both IS 1-mediated cointegrate formation and transposition of a synthetic IS 1-based transposon (‘omegon’Ω-on). These results also indicate that the Ω-on which does not itself encode IS 1 transposition functions can be complemented in trans, presumably by the copies of IS 1 resident in the Escherichia coli chromosome. Using insA-lacZ gene fusions, we show that at least part of this effect can be explained by the ability of InsA to repress expression of IS 1-encoded genes both in cis or in trans. The experiments involving Ω-on transposition raise the possibility that InsA inhibits transposition directly by competition with the transposase for their cognate site within the ends of IS 1.     

Identification of a second endogenous Porphyromonas gingivalis insertion element.

In this study a second endogenous Porphyromonas gingivalis insertion element (IS element) that is capable of transposition within P. gingivalis was identified. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the Tn4351 insertion site in a P. gingivalis Tn4351-generated transconjugant showed that a complete copy of the previously unidentified IS element, designated PGIS2, had inserted into IS4351R in Tn4351. PGIS2 is 1,207 bp in length with 19-bp imperfect terminal inverted repeats, and insertion resulted in a duplicated 10-bp target sequence. Results of Southern hybridization of chromosomal DNA isolated from several P. gingivalis strains with a PGIS2-specific probe demonstrated that the number of copies of PGIS2 per genome varies among different P. gingivalis strains. Computer analysis of the putative polypeptide encoded by PGIS2 revealed strong homologies to the products encoded by IS1358 from Vibrio cholerae, ISAS1 from Aeromonas salmonicida, and H-rpt in Escherichia coli K-12.     

Terminal inverted repeats of insertion sequence IS30 serve as targets for transposition.

In the present study, we demonstrate that the terminal inverted repeats of the Escherichia coli insertion sequence IS30 are functional target sites for the transposition of the (IS30)2 dimer, which represents an intermediate structure in the transposition of IS30. Comparative analysis of various target regions revealed that the left and right ends differ in their "attractivity." In our experiments, the joined left and right ends, i.e., the (IS30)2 intermediate structure, was found to be the most preferred target. It was also shown that flanking sequences can influence the target activity of the terminal repeats. The functional part of the target region was localized in the inverted repeats by means of mutational analysis, and it corresponds to the binding site of IS30 transposase. Insertion of 1 bp into the right inverted repeat resulted in unusual target duplication accompanied by gene conversion. The choice of the terminal inverted repeats as targets in transposition leads to the reconstruction of the (IS30)2 structure, which may induce a cascade of further rearrangements. Therefore, this process can play a role in the evolution of the genome.     

The IS1111 family members IS4321 and IS5075 have subterminal inverted repeats and target the terminal inverted repeats of Tn21 family transposons

IS5075 and IS4321 are closely related (93.1% identical) members of the IS1111 family that target a specific position in the 38-bp terminal inverted repeats of Tn21 family transposons and that are inserted in only one orientation. They are 1,327 bp long and have identical ends consisting of short inverted repeats of 12 bp with an additional 7 bp (TAATGAG) or 6 bp (AATGAG) to the left of the left inverted repeats and 3 bp (AGA) or 4 bp (AGAT) to the right of the right inverted repeat. Circular forms of IS5075 and IS4321 in which the inverted repeats are separated by abutting terminal sequences (AGATAATGAG) were detected. A similar circular product was found for the related ISPa11. Transposition of IS4321 into the 38-bp target site was detected, but a flanking duplication was not generated. The precisely reconstituted target site was also identified. Over 50 members of the IS1111 family were identified. They encode related transposases, have related inverted repeats, and include related bases that lie outside these inverted repeats. In some, the flanking bases number 5 or 6 on the left and 4 or 3 on the right. Specific target sites were found for several of these insertion sequence (IS) elements. IS1111 family members therefore differ from the majority of IS elements, which are characterized by terminal inverted repeats and a target site duplication, and from members of the related IS110 family, which do not have obvious inverted repeats near their termini.     

Transposon Tn10: genetic organization, regulation, and insertion specificity

Transposon Tn10 is a composite element in which two individual insertion sequence (IS)-like sequences cooperate to mediate transposition of the intervening material. The two flanking IS10 elements are not identical; IS10-right is responsible for functions required to promote transposition, and IS10-left is defective in transposition functions. We suggest that the two IS10 elements were originally identical in sequence and have subsequently diverged. IS10-right is compactly organized with structural gene(s), promoters, and sites important for transposition and (presumably) its regulation all closely linked and, in some cases, overlapping. IS10 has a single major coding region that almost certainly encodes an essential transposition function. A pair of opposing promoters flank the start of this coding region. One of these promoters is responsible for expression in vivo of transposon-encoded transposition functions. We propose that the second promoter is involved in modulation of Tn10 transposition. Genetic analysis suggests that transposon-encoded function(s) may be preferentially cis-acting. Insertion of Tn10 into particular preferred target sites is due primarily to the occurrence of a particular six-base pair target DNA sequence. The properties of this sequence suggest that symmetrically disposed subunits of a single protein may be responsible for both recognition and cleavage of target DNA during insertion.     

Absence of direct repeats flanking transposons resulting from intramolecular transposition

Tn2660 is an ampicillin-resistance-conferring transposon with a high degree of homology for the transposon Tn3. The nucleotide sequences flanking the termini of Tn2660 have been determined on plasmids inferred to have resulted from both inter- and intramolecular transposition of Tn2660. In all cases, transposition of Tn2660, as of Tn3, creates 5-bp flanking direct repeats, except following intramolecular transposition resulting from trans ligation. In this case, in R6K replicons, the nucleotide sequence between the two Tn2660 elements is stably inverted from the normal orientation, and 5-bp direct repeats do not flank each transposon, but instead flank opposite ends of the two transposon copies.     

Tn10 transposition and circle formation in vitro

We describe a cell-free system that promotes Tn10 transposition and transposon circle formation, a related intramolecular event. Tn10 circle formation in vitro has been characterized in detail, and is shown to require a supercoiled substrate and to proceed in the absence of ATP. The reaction requires Tn10 transposase protein, and either of two E. coli proteins, integration host factor (IHF) and HU, which are small DNA binding proteins that change the conformation of DNA. Tn10 is composed of inverted repeats of insertion sequence IS10. Pair-wise combinations of the IS10 "outside" and "inside" ends mediate distinct classes of rearrangements in vivo, and they exhibit different reaction requirements in vitro. In contrast to the Tn10 reaction, which involves two outside ends, circle formation with two inside ends proceeds with a transposase fraction alone, in the absence of added host factors, and is inhibited by methylation of the dam site within each terminus.