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Shaping the genome--restriction-modification systems as mobile genetic elements
I Kobayashi1, A Nobusato, N Kobayashi-Takahashi
1Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, 108-8639, Japan. ikobaya@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Abstract:
A restriction enzyme gene is often linked to a modification methylase gene the role of which is to protect a recognition site on DNA from breakage by the former. Loss of some restriction-modification gene complexes leads to cell death through restriction breakage in the genome. Their behavior as genomic parasites/symbionts may explain the distribution of restriction sites and clarify certain aspects of bacterial recombination repair and mutagenesis. A comparison of bacterial genomes supports the hypothesis that restriction-modification gene complexes are mobile elements involved in various genome rearrangements and evolution.