Journal Article

Conjugative DNA Transfer Induces the Bacterial SOS Response and Promotes Antibiotic Resistance Development through Integron Activation

Baharoglu, Zeynep, Mazel, Didier, Bikard, David

2010

Overview

Conjugation is one mechanism for intra- and inter-species horizontal gene transfer among bacteria. Conjugative elements have been instrumental in many bacterial species to face the threat of antibiotics, by allowing them to evolve and adapt to these hostile conditions. Conjugative plasmids are transferred to plasmidless recipient cells as single-stranded DNA. We used lacZ and gfp fusions to address whether conjugation induces the SOS response and the integron integrase. The SOS response controls a series of genes responsible for DNA damage repair, which can lead to recombination and mutagenesis. In this manuscript, we show that conjugative transfer of ssDNA induces the bacterial SOS stress response, unless an anti-SOS factor is present to alleviate this response. We also show that integron integrases are up-regulated during this process, resulting in increased cassette rearrangements. Moreover, the data we obtained using broad and narrow host range plasmids strongly suggests that plasmid transfer, even abortive, can trigger chromosomal gene rearrangements and transcriptional switches in the recipient cell. Our results highlight the importance of environments concentrating disparate bacterial communities as reactors for extensive genetic adaptation of bacteria.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adaptation, Physiological / Adaptation, Physiological - genetics / Adaptations / Antibiotic resistance / Antibiotics / Bacteria / Bacteria - genetics / Bacteria - metabolism / Bacteriology / Biochemistry/ and Repair / Biochemistry/Transcription and Translation / Bioreactors / Cell Biology/Gene Expression / Cell Biology/Microbial Growth and Development / Cell Biology/Microbial Physiology and Metabolism / Cholera / Conjugation / Conjugation, Genetic / Data processing / Development / DNA damage / DNA, Single-Stranded / DNA, Single-Stranded - genetics / Drug Resistance, Microbial / Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics / Escherichia coli / Escherichia coli - genetics / Escherichia coli - metabolism / Gene expression / Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / gene rearrangement / Gene transfer / Gene Transfer, Horizontal / Genetics / Genetics and Genomics/Chromosome Biology / Genetics and Genomics/Gene Expression / Genetics and Genomics/Microbial Evolution and Genomics / Genomes / Green Fluorescent Proteins / Green Fluorescent Proteins - genetics / Green Fluorescent Proteins - metabolism / Host range / Infection / Integrase / Integrases / Integrases - genetics / Integrases - metabolism / Integrons / Integrons - genetics / Lac Operon / Lac Operon - genetics / Life Sciences / Microbiology / Microbiology/Cellular Microbiology and Pathogenesis / Microbiology/Microbial Evolution and Genomics / Microbiology/Microbial Physiology and Metabolism / Mutagenesis / Pathogens / Plasmids / Plasmids - genetics / Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Recombinant Fusion Proteins - genetics / Recombinant Fusion Proteins - metabolism / Recombination / SOS response / SOS Response (Genetics) - genetics / SOS Response, Genetics / Time Factors / Transcription / Vibrio cholerae / Vibrio cholerae - genetics / Vibrio cholerae - metabolism