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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Conjugative Mating Assays for Sequence-specific Analysis of Transfer Proteins Involved in Bacterial Conjugation

Conjugative Mating Assays for Sequence-specific Analysis of Transfer Proteins Involved in Bacterial Conjugation

Published on: January 4, 2017

Actinomycete integrative and conjugative elements.

Evelien M te Poele¹, Henk Bolhuis, Lubbert Dijkhuizen

¹Department of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB), University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands.

Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek

|June 5, 2008

Summary

Actinomycete integrative and conjugative elements (AICEs) are mobile genetic elements that integrate into host DNA. This review highlights their conserved structure, evolutionary origins, and roles in genome diversity and horizontal gene transfer.

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Genetics
Molecular Biology

Background:

Actinomycete integrative and conjugative elements (AICEs) are mobile genetic elements found in actinobacteria.
Key characterized AICEs include pSAM2, SLP1, and pMEA300, which integrate into tRNA genes and are capable of conjugative transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

To review current knowledge on actinomycete integrative and conjugative elements (AICEs).
To explore the structural organization, evolutionary relationships, and functional roles of AICEs.
To discuss the potential applications of AICEs in strain engineering.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature and genomic data.
Comparative analysis of AICE sequences and structures.
Evaluation of Amycolatopsis isolates for pMEA-like elements.

Main Results:

AICEs exhibit conserved structural organization with modules for integration, replication, transfer, and regulation.
A novel group of AICEs, the pMEA-elements, were identified based on their replication initiator protein.
AICEs primarily coevolved with their hosts, with distinct geographical populations identified.
Genome data reveal AICEs' modular composition and origins from plasmids and bacteriophages.
AICEs modulate host genome diversity and facilitate horizontal gene transfer of secondary metabolite clusters and foreign DNA.

Conclusions:

AICEs are widespread in actinomycetes and play significant roles in genome evolution and adaptation.
AICEs have potential applications in engineering strains for the production of valuable compounds.
Further research into AICEs could impact understanding of antibiotic resistance spread.