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Tn 4451 from Clostridium perfringens is a mobilizable transposon that encodes the functional Mob protein, TnpZ
Author(s) -
Crellin Paul K.,
Rood Julian I.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.00712.x
Subject(s) - biology , transposable element , plasmid , transposon mutagenesis , clostridium perfringens , genetics , mutagenesis , transposase , bacterial conjugation , escherichia coli , gene , mutant , bacteria
The 6.3 kb Clostridium perfringens transposon Tn 4451 encodes a 50 kDa protein, TnpZ, which has amino acid sequence similarity to a group of plasmid mobilization and recombination proteins that comprise the Mob/Pre family. Members of this family interact with an upstream palindromic sequence called an RS A site, and an RS A ‐like sequence has been identified upstream of the tnpZ gene. In Escherichia coli , in the presence of a chromosomally integrated derivative of the broad‐host‐range IncP plasmid, RP4, TnpZ was able to promote plasmid mobilization in cis and was able to function in trans to enable the mobilization of a co‐resident plasmid carrying an RS A site. It was also able to mediate the conjugative transfer of plasmids from E. coli to C. perfringens . Site‐directed mutagenesis of two bases within the RS A site resulted in a significant reduction in mobilization frequency, demonstrating that the RS A site is required for efficient plasmid mobilization. TnpZ is the only Mob/Pre protein known to be associated with a transposable genetic element, and Tn 4451 is the first mobilizable but non‐self‐transmissible transposon to be identified from a Gram‐positive bacterium.