Open AccessHomologous recombination between rrn operons rearranges the chromosome in host‐specialized species of Salmonella
Author(s) -
Liu ShuLin,
Sanderson Kenneth E
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1998.tb13098.x
Subject(s) - biology , homologous recombination , operon , genetics , salmonella , homologous chromosome , ribosomal rna , chromosomal translocation , chromosome , gene , dna , escherichia coli , bacteria
Partial digestion with I‐ Ceu I, which digests bacterial DNA at the gene coding for the large subunit rRNA, established the rrn genomic skeleton (the distance in kb between rRNA operons) in 56 strains of Salmonella , from Salmonella Reference B (SARB) set. All had seven I‐ Ceu I sites, indicating seven rrn operons. The order of I‐ Ceu I fragments was ABCDEFG in S. typhimurium LT2 and in 31 other species, mostly host‐generalists; in S. typhi, S. paratyphi C, S. gallinarum , and S. pullorum (host‐specialized species), these fragments are rearranged, due to homologous recombination between the rrn operons. Rearrangements, such as inversions and translocations not involving the rrn operons, are rare. I‐ Ceu I fragments of some species are larger than the norm, suggesting the insertion of unique blocks of DNA by lateral transfer from other species.