The expression of integron arrays is shaped by the translation rate of cassettes
Investigation published in Nature Communications
October 25th, 2024
Integrons are key elements in the rise and spread of multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. These genetic platforms capture cassettes containing promoterless genes and stockpile them in arrays of variable length. In the current integron model, expression of cassettes is granted by the Pc promoter in the platform and is assumed to decrease as a function of its distance. Here we explored this model using a large collection of 136 antibiotic resistance cassettes and show the effect of distance is in fact negligible. Instead, cassettes have a strong impact in the expression of downstream genes because their translation rate affects the stability of the whole polycistronic mRNA molecule. Hence, cassettes with reduced translation rates decrease the expression and resistance phenotype of cassettes downstream. Our data puts forward an integron model in which expression is contingent on the translation of cassettes upstream, rather than on the distance to the Pc
Carvalho A., Hipolito A., Trigo de Roza F., Garcia-Pastor L., Vergara E., Buendia A., Garcia-Seco T. and Escudero JA..
 | Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
Related news in other media:
- Nuevos avances en el conocimiento de la resistencia antimicrobiana de las bacterias - ucm.es
- Una investigación de la UCM avanza en el estudio de genes que son capaces de resistir a los antibióticos - infosalus.com
