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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
08:21
Site-specific Bacterial Chromosome Engineering: ΦC31 Integrase Mediated Cassette Exchange (IMCE)
Published on: March 16, 2012
Recombination Between Two Adjacent ICESan95 Generated a New Transferable Integrative and Conjugative Element in
1College of Applied Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Sanmenxia, China.
Microbial Drug Resistance (Larchmont, N.Y.)
|August 5, 2026
Summary
Tandem integration of ICESan95 elements drives the formation of mosaic integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). This recombination process creates novel resistance islands, promoting bacterial adaptation and evolution.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are mobile genetic elements that play a significant role in bacterial evolution.
- ICESan95 is a serine integrase ICE known to target methyltransferase genes for integration.
- Mosaic ICEs, such as ICESag084, arise from recombination events involving multiple ICEs and host genes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the recombination of multiple ICESan95 elements.
- To elucidate the mechanism leading to the formation of mosaic ICEs resembling ICESag084.
- To assess the genomic stability and transferability of the resulting mosaic ICEs.
Main Methods:
- Conjugation assays were employed to track the evolutionary process of ICE recombination.
- Whole-genome sequencing was used to confirm the structures of the generated ICEs.
- Serial passages were performed to assess the genomic stability of the mosaic ICEs.
Main Results:
- Recombination of ICESan95 elements, involving adjacent snf2 and hsdM genes, led to the formation of a mosaic ICE similar to ICESag084.
- The mosaic ICE comprises an ICESan95-like element, a tyrosine integrase element, and a partial ICESpy009 sequence.
- The mosaic ICE was conjugatively transferable and stable for at least 60 generations, whereas the circularized intermediate was unstable.
Conclusions:
- Tandem integration and recombinational excision are key mechanisms driving the emergence and spread of mosaic ICEs.
- This process facilitates the modular assembly of diverse mobile genetic elements, creating novel resistance islands.
- The formation of mosaic ICEs represents a significant pathway for bacterial adaptive evolution, particularly in pathogens.
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