Vibrio cholerae(V. cholerae) genome is equipped with a number of integrative mobile genetic element(IMGE) like prophages, plasmids, transposons or genomic islands, which provides fitness factors that help the pathogen...Vibrio cholerae(V. cholerae) genome is equipped with a number of integrative mobile genetic element(IMGE) like prophages, plasmids, transposons or genomic islands, which provides fitness factors that help the pathogen to survive in changing environmental conditions. Metagenomic analyses of clinical and environmental V. cholerae isolates revealed that dimer resolution sites(dif) harbor several structurally and functionally distinct IMGEs. All IMGEs present in the dif region exploit chromosomally encoded tyrosine recombinases, Xer C and Xer D, for integration. Integration takes place due to site-specific recombination between two specific DNA sequences; chromosomal sequence is called att B and IMGEs sequence is called att P. Different IMGEs present in the att P region have different attP structure but all of them are recognized by Xer C and Xer D enzymes and mediate either reversible or irreversible integration. Cholera toxin phage(CTXΦ), a lysogenic filamentous phage carrying the cholera toxin genes ctx AB, deserves special attention because it provides V. cholerae the crucial toxin and is always present in the dif region of all epidemic cholera isolates. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of integration and dissemination of CTXΦ, genetic and ecological factors which support CTXΦ integration as well as production of virion from chromosomally integrated phage genome and interactions of CTXΦ with other genetic elements present in the genomes of V. cholerae is important for learning more about the biology of cholera pathogen.展开更多
基金Supported by Research in the Laboratory of Das B and NairGB is funded in part by Department of Science Technology,No.SB/FT/LS-309/2012Government of India(GOI)and the Department of Biotechnology,No.BT/MB/THSTI/HMC-SFC/2011Research in the Laboratory of Bhadra RK is partly financiallysupported by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,GOIand Indian Council of Medical Research,GOI
文摘Vibrio cholerae(V. cholerae) genome is equipped with a number of integrative mobile genetic element(IMGE) like prophages, plasmids, transposons or genomic islands, which provides fitness factors that help the pathogen to survive in changing environmental conditions. Metagenomic analyses of clinical and environmental V. cholerae isolates revealed that dimer resolution sites(dif) harbor several structurally and functionally distinct IMGEs. All IMGEs present in the dif region exploit chromosomally encoded tyrosine recombinases, Xer C and Xer D, for integration. Integration takes place due to site-specific recombination between two specific DNA sequences; chromosomal sequence is called att B and IMGEs sequence is called att P. Different IMGEs present in the att P region have different attP structure but all of them are recognized by Xer C and Xer D enzymes and mediate either reversible or irreversible integration. Cholera toxin phage(CTXΦ), a lysogenic filamentous phage carrying the cholera toxin genes ctx AB, deserves special attention because it provides V. cholerae the crucial toxin and is always present in the dif region of all epidemic cholera isolates. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of integration and dissemination of CTXΦ, genetic and ecological factors which support CTXΦ integration as well as production of virion from chromosomally integrated phage genome and interactions of CTXΦ with other genetic elements present in the genomes of V. cholerae is important for learning more about the biology of cholera pathogen.