Stability of the cargo regions of the cfr-carrying, multiresistance plasmid pSP01 from Staphylococcus epidermidis

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Andrea Brenciani1, Gianluca Morroni1, Marina Mingoia1

  • 1Unit of Microbiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Polytechnic University of Marche Medical School, Ancona, Italy.

International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM
|August 25, 2016
PubMed

Insights

The stability of Staphylococcus epidermidis plasmid pSP01 cargo regions was analyzed. Only the cr4 region showed instability, influenced by insertion sequences, suggesting a mechanism for its potential transfer.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The cfr gene confers multiresistance in bacteria.
  • Plasmids play a crucial role in antibiotic resistance dissemination.
  • Understanding plasmid stability is key to combating resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the excision stability of four cargo regions (cr1-cr4) in the novel cfr-carrying plasmid pSP01.
  • To determine the role of insertion sequences (ISs) in plasmid stability and instability.
  • To elucidate the mechanism behind the instability of the cr4 region.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of plasmid pSP01 from a clinical Staphylococcus epidermidis isolate.
  • Investigated excision in circular form for each cargo region (cr1-cr4).
  • Examined the influence of insertion sequences (ISs) on cargo region stability.

Main Results:

  • Only the cr4 cargo region exhibited instability; cr1 and cr2 were stable.
  • Insertion sequences (ISs) were critical for the stability of cr3 (cfr gene context) and the instability of cr4.
  • cr4 instability is linked to two identical, flanking IS257 elements, suggesting composite transposon behavior.

Conclusions:

  • The instability of cr4, bracketed by IS257 elements, is significant given a related plasmid lacking cr4.
  • An integration/recombination mechanism is proposed for cr4's potential movement between plasmids.
  • This highlights potential mechanisms for the evolution and spread of resistance genes.
Keywords:
Cargo region stabilityInsertion sequencesMinicirclesMultiresistance plasmidStaphylococcus epidermidis

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