TnSmu1 is a functional integrative and conjugative element in Streptococcus mutans that when expressed causes growth arrest of host bacteria
Name
Molecular Microbiology - 2022 - McLellan - TnSmu1 is a functional integrative and conjugative element in Streptococcus.pdf
Description
Published version
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1.63 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
2751d0b70d5b4441e2ba524b783b47e2
Author(s)
McLellan, Lisa K
Anderson, Mary E
Grossman, Alan D
Date Issued
October 21, 2022
Journal
Molecular Microbiology
Publisher
Wiley
Citation
McLellan, Lisa K, Anderson, Mary E and Grossman, Alan D. 2022. "TnSmu1 is a functional integrative and conjugative element in Streptococcus mutans that when expressed causes growth arrest of host bacteria." Molecular Microbiology.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are major drivers of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. They mediate their own transfer from host cells (donors) to recipients and allow bacteria to acquire new phenotypes, including pathogenic and metabolic capabilities and drug resistances. Streptococcus mutans, a major causative agent of dental caries, contains a putative ICE, TnSmu1, integrated at the 3' end of a leucyl tRNA gene. We found that TnSmu1 is a functional ICE, containing all the genes necessary for ICE function. It excised from the chromosome and excision was stimulated by DNA damage. We identified the DNA junctions generated by excision of TnSmu1, defined the ends of the element, and detected the extrachromosomal circle. We found that TnSmu1 can transfer from S. mutans donors to recipients when co-cultured on solid medium. The presence of TnSmu1 in recipients inhibited successful acquisition of another copy and this inhibition was mediated, at least in part, by the likely transcriptional repressor encoded by the element. Using microscopy to track individual cells, we found that activation of TnSmu1 caused an arrest of cell growth. Our results demonstrate that TnSmu1 is a functional ICE that affects the biology of its host cells.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
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Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.14992
