Tn1 transposition in the course of natural transformation enables horizontal antibiotic resistance spread in Acinetobacter baylyi.

ABSTRACT: Transposons are genetic elements that change their intracellular genomic position by transposition and are spread horizontally between bacteria when located on plasmids. It was recently discovered that transposition from fully heterologous DNA also occurs in the course of natural transformation. Here, we characterize the molecular details and constraints of this process using the replicative transposon Tn1 and the naturally competent bacterium Acinetobacter baylyi. We find that chromosomal insertion of Tn1 by transposition occurs at low but detectable frequencies and preferably around the A. baylyi terminus of replication. We show that Tn1 transposition is facilitated by transient expression of the transposase and resolvase encoded by the donor DNA. RecA

SUBMITTER: Kloos J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8116780 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature