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Related Concept Videos

Transposons01:24

Transposons

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Transposons, or "jumping genes," are small mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that range from 700 to 40,000 base pairs in length. They are found in all organisms and can move within the same chromosome or transfer to different chromosomes. In some cases, transposons can also jump between different host DNA molecules, such as plasmids or viruses, contributing to genetic variability.Barbara McClintock first discovered these mobile genetic elements in the 1940s while studying maize genetics, and she...
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Overview of Transposition and Recombination02:13

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

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Transposons make up a significant part of genomes of various organisms. Therefore, it is believed that transposition played a major evolutionary role in speciation by changing genome sizes and modifying gene expression patterns. For example, in bacteria, transposition can lead to conferring antibiotic resistance. Movement of transposable elements within the genetic pool of pathogenic bacteria can aid in transfer of antibiotic-resistant genetic elements. In eukaryotes, transposons can carry out...
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Transduction01:16

Transduction

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Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome...
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Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

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Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
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DNA-only Transposons02:57

DNA-only Transposons

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DNA-only transposons are called autonomous transposons since they code for the enzyme transposase that is required for the transposition mechanism. Insertion of transposons can alter gene functions in multiple ways. They can mutate the gene, alter gene expression by introducing a novel promoter or insulator sequence, introduce new splice sites, and change the mRNA transcripts produced, or remodel chromatin structure.
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...
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Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

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While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
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Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity
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Transposable elements are driving rapid adaptation of Enterococcus faecium.

Matthew P Grieshop1,2,3, Aaron A Behr4, Sierra Bowden1

  • 1Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

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Insertion sequences (IS) drive rapid evolution in the bacterial pathogen Enterococcus faecium, enhancing its adaptation to clinical environments. This IS expansion impacts metabolic fitness and may explain its increasing prevalence in healthcare settings.

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Determination of the Optimal Chromosomal Locations for a DNA Element in Escherichia coli Using a Novel Transposon-mediated Approach
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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Bacterial pathogens rapidly adapt to selective pressures.
  • Insertion sequences (IS) are transposable elements that can influence pathogen adaptation.
  • The activity and impact of IS in current clinical bacterial populations are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dynamics and consequences of IS activity in bacterial pathogens, particularly Enterococcus faecium.
  • To quantify IS dynamics from global genomic patterns to within-host evolution.
  • To understand the role of IS in the adaptation and clinical success of E. faecium.

Main Methods:

  • Large-scale genomic surveys of publicly available pathogen genomes.
  • Long-read sequencing of clinical isolates and longitudinal gut metagenomes.
  • Analysis of IS density, structural variation, and regulatory impacts in E. faecium.

Main Results:

  • Enterococcus faecium genomes exhibit the highest IS density, dominated by ISL3 elements, which have increased in clinical lineages over 30 years.
  • Extensive chromosomal structural variation, linked to ISL3, was observed in bloodstream isolates.
  • Within-host IS dynamics in haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients showed ISL3 insertions creating strong promoters, enhancing fitness under folate limitation.

Conclusions:

  • A recent expansion of ISL3 elements is driving rapid evolution in healthcare-associated E. faecium.
  • IS-mediated changes in metabolic fitness, such as enhanced folate scavenging, contribute to E. faecium's success in critically ill patients.
  • IS expansion may be a broadly relevant mechanism for pathogen evolution and adaptation in clinical settings.