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Volume 146, Issue 6

Genetic linkage of the gene cluster to Tn in vancomycin-resistant enterococci and characterization of two novel insertion sequences

GenBank and GenPept accession numbers are given in Table 3 T3 .

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Abstract

VanB-type vancomycin resistance is encoded by the gene cluster, which disseminates by horizontal gene transfer and clonal spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Genetic linkage of the gene cluster to transposon Tn and the insertion sequences IS and IS-like has previously been shown. In this study linkage of defined gene cluster subtypes to these elements was examined. All the subtype strains studied (=14) revealed co-hybridization of and Tn, whereas the strains of (=8) and (=1) subtypes were Tn negative. Conjugative cotransfer of the gene cluster and Tn was demonstrated for two strains. DNA sequencing of the –ORFC region in strains confirmed that the gene cluster is an integral part of Tn. No general pattern of linkage was observed with regard to IS and IS-like. Two novel insertion sequences were identified in specific subtype strains. (i) A 1611 bp element (ISEnfa) was detected in the left flank of Tn. Its insertion site, lack of terminal inverted and direct repeats, and two conserved motifs in its putative transposase all conform to the conventions of the IS family. (ii) A 787 bp element (ISEnfa) was detected in the – intergenic region. Its ORF encoded a putative protein with 60–70% identity to transposases of the IS family. No further copies of ISEnfa were found by colony hybridization of 181 enterococcal isolates, whereas ISEnfa was found in four additional strains from the USA. The five strains had identical ISEnfa element insertion sites, and Tn was located downstream from a gene conferring high-level ampicillin resistance. These isolates showed related PFGE patterns, suggesting possible clonal spread of a VRE strain harbouring a Tn––ISEnfaelement linked to a gene conferring ampicillin resistance

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Keyword(s): Enterococcus , insertion element , IS, insertion sequence , Tn5382 , vanB and VRE, vancomycin-resistant enterococci
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2000-06-01
2024-04-18
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Genetic linkage of the vanB2 gene cluster to Tn5382 in vancomycin-resistant enterococci and characterization of two novel insertion sequencesGenBank and GenPept accession numbers are given in Table 3T3.
Microbiology 146, 1469 (2000); https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-146-6-1469
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-6-1469
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-146-6-1469
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