Open AccessSpread and evolution of natural plasmids harboring transposon Tn 5
Author(s) -
Blázquez Jesús,
Navas Alfonso,
Gonzalo Pilar,
Martínez JoséL.,
Baquero Fernando
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.1996.tb00199.x
Subject(s) - plasmid , biology , transposable element , replicon , genetics , transposition (logic) , t dna binary system , phylogenetic tree , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , genome , vector (molecular biology) , recombinant dna , linguistics , philosophy
The presence of transposon Tn 5 was studied in 730 Enterobacteriaceae strains from clinical and sewage origin. From these strains, twenty‐five conjugative plasmids harboring transposon Tn 5 were isolated. These plasmids were compared with pJR67 and pRYC119, the only previously studied plasmids harboring Tn 5 . A phylogenetic tree of the evolution of all different plasmids was proposed. Irrespective of their bacterial host and geographical place of isolation, some of the plasmids were shown to be identical. All of them can be included in only eight different prototypical plasmid species. Twenty‐two plasmids (88%) carried an IncI1 incompatibility determinant as judged form DNA hybridization experiments. The presence of some other common resistance genes suggested that these plasmids are descendants of a common ancestor. These IncI1 plasmids could be grouped in six prototypical species. The results presented here suggest that Tn 5 spread in nature may be dependent on the conjugative ability of the IncI plasmids harboring the transposon, rather than on the efficiency of Tn 5 transposition between different replicons.