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Arsenical resistance in the IncHI2 plasmids
1Department of Applied Biology and Chemistry, Institute of Technology Carlow, Kilkenny Road, Carlow, Ireland. ryand@itcarlow.ie
Plasmid
|August 2, 2002
Summary
The IncHI2 plasmid R478 confers high resistance to arsenic compounds. Its arsenic and sulfate transport operons are common in IncH plasmids but showed no transposability in R478.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- IncHI2 plasmids, such as R478, are known to confer arsenic resistance.
- Arsenic resistance is often mediated by specific gene operons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic basis of arsenic resistance in the IncHI2 plasmid R478.
- To identify and characterize arsenic resistance and associated genes within the R478 plasmid.
Main Methods:
- Cloning and sequencing of an arsenic resistance fragment from R478.
- Southern hybridization and PCR analysis to compare R478 operons with other IncH plasmids.
Main Results:
- Identified four arsenic resistance gene homologues (arsR, arsB, arsC, arsH) and two sulphate transport gene homologues.
- Found that both arsenic and sulphate transport operons are common to examined arsenic resistance IncH plasmids.
- Observed no evidence of transposability for these operons in R478, despite their known association with transposons.
Conclusions:
- The R478 plasmid possesses conserved arsenic and sulfate transport operons shared among IncH plasmids.
- The identified operons, while typically associated with transposons, do not exhibit transposability within the R478 plasmid context.