TnCentral: a Prokaryotic Transposable Element Database and Web Portal for Transposon Analysis

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Microbiology
• Genomics

Background:

• Prokaryotic transposable elements (TE) are crucial drivers of bacterial evolution, adaptation, and the spread of antibiotic resistance.
• Many TE carry "passenger genes" conferring resistance to antibiotics or heavy metals, or encoding virulence factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce TnCentral, a comprehensive web resource for prokaryotic transposable elements (TE).
• To provide a platform for exploring the structure, organization, and functional features of TE and their associated genes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a curated database of ∼400 annotated prokaryotic TE.
• Implementation of a user-friendly web interface for browsing, searching (text- and sequence-based), and visualizing TE data.
• Inclusion of downloadable software for TE identification in genomic sequences.
• Integration with TnPedia for comprehensive reviews of TE families.

Main Results:

• TnCentral provides detailed information on TE families (e.g., Tn3, Tn7), compound transposons, integrons, and insertion sequences.
• TE entries include data on transposition genes, passenger genes (e.g., antibiotic resistance, virulence factors), and graphical maps.
• The resource facilitates exploration and comparison of TE through interactive search and results displays.
• TnCentral and TnPedia are accessible to users with varying levels of bioinformatics expertise.

Conclusions:

• TnCentral is an intuitive and valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and scientists studying bacterial evolution and antibiotic resistance.
• Understanding TE composition and function is critical for developing strategies to combat bacterial pathogenesis and public health threats.