Production of two proteins encoded by the Bacteroides mobilizable transposon NBU1 correlates with time-dependent accumulation of the excised NBu1 circular form.

ABSTRACT: NBU1 is a mobilizable transposon that excises from the Bacteroides chromosome to form a double-stranded circular transfer intermediate. Excision is triggered by exposure of the bacteria to tetracycline. Accordingly, we expected that the expression of NBU1 genes would be induced by tetracycline. To test this hypothesis, antibodies that recognized two NBU1-encoded proteins, PrmN1 and MobN1, were used to monitor production of these proteins. PrmN1 is essential for excision, and MobN1 is essential for transfer of the excised circular form. At first, expression of the genes encoding these two proteins appeared to be regulated by tetracycline, because the proteins were detectable on Western blots only after the cells were exposed to tetracycline. However, when the prmN1 gene and/or the mobN1 gen

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC100129 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature