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Identification of promoter activity in gene-less cassettes from Vibrionaceae superintegrons

Investigation article published in Nucleic Acids Research

January 12nd, 2024

Integrons are genetic platforms that acquire new genes encoded in integron cassettes (ICs), building arrays of adaptive functions. ICs generally encode promoterless genes, whose expression relies on the platform-associated Pc promoter, with the cassette array functioning as an operon-like structure regulated by the distance to the Pc. This is relevant in large sedentary chromosomal integrons (SCIs) carrying hundreds of ICs, like those in Vibrio species. We selected 29 gene-less cassettes in four Vibrio SCIs, and explored whether their function could be related to the transcription regulation of adjacent ICs. We show that most gene-less cassettes have promoter activity on the sense strand, enhancing the expression of downstream cassettes. Additionally, we identified the transcription start sites of gene-less ICs through 5`-RACE. Accordingly, we found that most of the superintegron in Vibrio cholerae is not silent. These promoter cassettes can trigger the expression of a silent dfrB9 cassette downstream, increasing trimethoprim resistance >512-fold in V. cholerae and Escherichia coli. Furthermore, one cassette with an antisense promoter can reduce trimethoprim resistance when cloned downstream. Our findings highlight the regulatory role of gene-less cassettes in the expression of adjacent cassettes, emphasizing their significance in SCIs and their clinical importance if captured by mobile integrons




Blanco P., Hipolito A., Garcia-Pastor L., Trigo de Roza F., Toribio-Celestino L., Ortega AC., Vergara E., San Millan A. and Escudero JA..




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Identification of promoter activity in gene-less cassettes from Vibrionaceae superintegrons

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Identification of promoter activity in gene-less cassettes from Vibrionaceae superintegrons



Participants:

Universidad ComplutenseDepartamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM).

Universidad ComplutenseServicio de Zoonosis de Transmisión Alimentaria y Resistencia a Antimicrobianos (ZTA). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasCentro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).

Instituto de Salud Carlos IIICentro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP). Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII).







Nucleic Acids Research
FACTOR YEAR Q
16.600 2023

PMID: 38214222

ISSN: 03051048



TITLE: Identification of promoter activity in gene-less cassettes from Vibrionaceae superintegrons


JOURNAL: Nucleic Acids Res


NUMERACIÓN: 52(6):2961-2976


AÑO: 2024


PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press


AUTHORS: Blanco P., Hipolito A., Garcia-Pastor L., Trigo de Roza F., Toribio-Celestino L., Ortega AC., Vergara E., San Millan A. and Escudero JA..


José Antonio Escudero García-Calderón

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkad1252


CITE THIS PUBLICATION:

Blanco P., Hipolito A., Garcia-Pastor L., Trigo de Roza F., Toribio-Celestino L., Ortega AC., Vergara E., San Millan A. and Escudero JA. Identification of promoter activity in gene-less cassettes from Vibrionaceae superintegrons. Nucleic Acids Research. 52(6):2961-2976. 2024. (A). ISSN: 03051048. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1252


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