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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Producing Gene Deletions in Escherichia coli by P1 Transduction with Excisable Antibiotic Resistance Cassettes
Published on: September 1, 2018
Imprecise excision of insertion element IS5 from the fliC gene contributes to flagellar diversity in Escherichia coli
Eckhard Strauch1, Lothar Beutin
1National Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli, Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Motile strains of Escherichia coli K12 carrying both a chromosomal fliC-H48 gene and a plasmid encoded fliC-H4 gene express both types of flagellins, which are coassembled into functional flagella. By using flagellar-H48-specific antiserum and a plasmid curing procedure, nonmotile mutants were found that carried an IS5 insertion in the chromosomal fliC-H48 gene. Motile revertants were isolated that showed deletions of the IS5 element together with sections of the fliC-H48 gene resulting in an altered flagellar serotype in these strains. As IS5 elements were found associated with 35 of 53 known H-types in wildtype E. coli strains, this insertion element might play a major role in serotype diversity.
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