Mp. Nikolich et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW-TYPE OF BACTEROIDES CONJUGATIVE TRANSPOSON,TC-R-EM(R)-7853, Journal of bacteriology, 176(21), 1994, pp. 6606-6612
Results of previous investigations suggested that the conjugative tran
sposons found in human colonic Bacteroides species were all members of
a closely related family of elements, exemplified by Tc-r Em(r) DOT.
We have now found a new type of conjugative transposon, Tc-r Em(r) 785
3, that does not belong to this family. Tc-r Em(r) 7853 has approximat
ely the same size as the Tc-r Em(r) DOT-type elements (70 to 80 kbp) a
nd also carries genes encoding resistance to tetracycline (Tc-r) and e
rythromycin (Em(r)); however, it differs from previously described con
jugative transposons in a number of ways. Its transfer is not regulate
d by tetracycline and its transfer genes are not controlled by the reg
ulatory genes rteA and rteB, which are found on Tc-r Em(r) DOT and rel
ated conjugative transposons. Its ends do not cross-hybridize with the
ends of Tc-r Em(r) DOT-type conjugative transposons, and the Em(r) ge
ne it carries does not cross-hybridize with ermF, the Em(r) gene found
on all previously studied Bacteroides conjugative transposons. There
is only one region with high sequence similarity between Tc-r Em(r) 78
53 and previously characterized elements, the region that contains the
Tc-r gene, tetQ. This sequence similarity ends 145 bp upstream of the
start codon and 288 bp downstream from the stop codon. A 2-kbp region
upstream of tetQ on Tc-r Em(r) 7853 cross-hybridized with four additi
onal EcoRV fragments of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 7853 DNA other th
an the one that contained tetQ. These additional cross-hybridizing ban
ds were not part of Tc-r Em(r) 7853, but one of them cotransferred wit
h Tc-r Em(r) 7853 in some matings. Thus, at least one of the additiona
l cross-hybridizing bands may be associated with another conjugative e
lement or with an element that is mobilized by Tc-r Em(r) 7853. DNA th
at cross-hybridized with the upstream region was found in one clinical
isolate of Bacteroides ovatus and four Tc-r isolates of Prevotella ru
minicola.