IS5 inserts upstream of the master motility operon flhDC in a quasi-Lamarckian way.

ABSTRACT: Mutation rates may be influenced by the environment. Here, we demonstrate that insertion sequence IS5 in Escherichia coli inserts into the upstream region of the flhDC operon in a manner that depends on whether the environment permits motility; this operon encodes the master regulator of cell motility, FlhDC, and the IS5 insertion increases motility. IS5 inserts upstream of flhD(+) when cells are grown on soft-agar plates that permit swimming motility, but does not insert upstream of this locus on hard-agar plates that do not permit swimming motility or in planktonic cultures. Furthermore, there was only one IS5 insertion event on soft-agar plates, indicating insertion of IS5 into flhDC is not due to general elevated IS5 transposition throughout the whole genome. We also show that the high

SUBMITTER: Wang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3160685 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature