The Tetracycline Resistance Genetet(M) Exhibits Mosaic Structure |
| |
Authors: | Marco R Oggioni Christopher G Dowson John Maynard Smith Roberta Provvedi Gianni Pozzi |
| |
Institution: | aSezione di Microbiologia, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy;bSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, United Kingdom;cSezione di Microbiologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Università di Cagliari, Via Porcell 4, 00194, Cagliari, Italy |
| |
Abstract: | Tetracycline resistance genes of the M class,tet(M), are typically found on mobile genetic elements as the conjugative transposons of gram-positive bacteria. By comparing the sequences of eight differenttet(M) genes (fromEnterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Ureaplasma urealyticum,andNeisseria), a mosaic structure was detected which could be traced to two distinct alleles. The two alleles displayed a divergence of 8% and a different G/C content. The block structure of these genes provides evidence for the contribution of homologous recombination to the evolution and the heterogeneity of thetet(M) locus. Unlike described cases of chromosomally located mosaic loci,tet(M) is a relatively recently acquired determinant in the species examined and it would appear that mosaic structure withintet(M) has evolved after acquisition of the gene by the mobile genetic elements upon which it is located. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|