Mobile DNA elements in the gas vesicle gene cluster of the planktonic cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 237; no. 1; pp. 27 - 34
• Main Authors: Mlouka, Alyssa, Comte, Katia, Tandeau de Marsac, Nicole
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2004; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Conserved Sequence; Cyanobacteria; Deficient mutant; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA probes; DNA Replication; DNA Transposable Elements; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - isolation & purification; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Order; Gene sequencing; Genes, Bacterial; Genetic structure; Homology; Insertion; Insertion sequences; IS1; IS4 and IS5 families; Microbiology; Microcystis; Microcystis - genetics; Microcystis - metabolism; Microcystis - ultrastructure; Microcystis aeruginosa; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Multigene Family; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Proteins - genetics; Recombination, Genetic; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Strains PCC 7806 and PCC 9354; Subgroups; Translational frameshift; Transposase; Transposase gene; Transposases; Transposases - chemistry; Transposases - genetics; Transposases - metabolism; Transposition; and IS; Translational frameshift; Transposases; Strains PCC 7806 and PCC 9354; IS; Insertion sequences; families; Gene cluster; Microcystis aeruginosa; IS4 and IS5 families; Transposable element; Genetic translation; IS element; Strain; Cyanobacteria; Bacteria; ISI
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2004.tb09674.x

Abstract Insertion sequences (IS) have been characterized in Microcystis aeruginosa gas vesicle-deficient mutants. ISMae4, a homolog of the cyanobacterial IS702, belongs to the IS5 family, subgroup ISL2. ISMae2 and ISMae3 display typical IS features and express a transposase of the IS4 and IS1 family, respectively. ISMae1 exhibits a more complex genetic structure and harbours a degenerated transposase gene distantly related to IS1 elements. Hybridizations with IS-specific DNA probes suggest that transposition of ISMae2 and ISMae3 occurred by a replicative-type mechanism. To our knowledge this is the first report showing that IS1 elements can be mobile in cyanobacteria.