Abstract
BACTERIAL resistance to antibiotics is often plasmid-mediated and the associated resistance genes encoded by transposable elements. Mycobacteria, including the human pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. leprae, are resistant to many antibiotics, and their cell-surface structure is believed to be largely responsible for the wide range of resistance phenotypes. Antibiotic-resistance plasmids have so far not been implicated in resistance of mycobacteria to antibiotics. Nevertheless, antibiotic-modifying activities such as aminoglycoside acetyltransferases1 and phosphotransferases1 have been detected in fast-growing species2,3. β-lactamases have also been found in most fast- and slow-growing mycobacteria. To date no mycobacterial antibiotic-resistance genes have been isolated and characterized. We now report the isolation, cloning and sequencing of a genetic region responsible for resistance to sulphonamides in M. fortuitum. This region also contains an open reading frame homologous to one present in Tn16964 (member of the Tn21 family) which encodes a site-specific integrase5,6. The mycobacterial resistance element is flanked by repeated sequences of 880 base pairs similar to the insertion elements of the IS6 family found in Gram+ and Gram- bacteria. The insertion element is shown to transpose to different sites in the chromosome of a related fast-growing species, M. smegmatis. The characterization of this element should permit transposon mutagenesis in the analysis of mycobacterial virulence and related problems.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Udou, T., Mizuguchi, Y. & Yamada, T. Am. Rev. resp. Dis. 133, 653–657 (1986).
Wallace, R. J. Jr, et al. Am. Rev. resp. Dis. 132, 409–416 (1985).
Udou, T., Mizuguchi, Y. & Wallace, R. J. Jr, Am. Rev. resp. Dis. 136, 338–343 (1987).
Wohlleben, W. et al. Molec. gen. Genet. 217, 202–208 (1989).
Martinez, E. & de la Cruz, F. Molec. Gen. Genet. 211, 320–325 (1988).
Sundström, L., Radström, P., Swedberg, G. & Sköld, O. Molec. Gen. Genet. 213, 191–201 (1988).
Trieu-Cuot, P. & Courvalin, P. Gene 30, 113–120 (1984).
Murphy, E. in Mobile DNA (eds Berg, D. E. & Howe, M. M.) 269–288 (American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC, 1989).
Galas, J. & Chandler, M. in Mobile DNA (eds Berg, D. E. & Howe, M. M.) 109–162 (American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC, 1989).
Thole, J. E. R. et al. Infect. Immunity 55, 1466–1475 (1987).
Rauzier, J., Moniz-Pereira, J. & Gicquel-Sanzey, B. Gene 71, 315–321 (1988).
Gicquel-Sanzey, B., Moniz-Pereira, J., Gheorghiu, M. & Rauzier, J. Acta Leprol. 7, 208–211 (1989).
Ouellette, M., Bissonnette, L. & Roy, P. H. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 7378–7382 (1987).
Jacobs, W. R. Jr, Tuckman, M. & Bloom, B. R. Nature 327, 532–535 (1987).
Snapper, S. B. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci., U.S.A. 85, 6987–6991 (1988).
Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F. & Maniatis, T. Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual 2nd edn (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1989).
Kagan, S. A., thesis, Univ. Wisconsin (1981).
Sanger, F., Nicklen, S. & Coulson, A. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5463–5467 (1977).
Deleclus, A., Bourgouin, C., Klier, A. & Rapoport, G. Plasmids 217, 71–78 (1989).
Mollet, B., Iida, S., Shephered, J. & Arber, W. Nucleic Acids Res. 11, 6319–6330 (1983).
Polzin, K. M. & Shimizu-Kadota, M. J. Bact. 169, 5481–5488 (1987).
Barberis-Maino, L., Berger-Bächi, B., Weber, H., Beck, W. D. & Kayser, F. H. Gene 59, 107–113 (1987).
Saurin, W. & Marlière, P. C. r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris 13, 541–546 (1986).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Martin, C., Timm, J., Rauzier, J. et al. Transposition of an antibiotic resistance element in mycobacteria. Nature 345, 739–743 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/345739a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/345739a0
This article is cited by
-
Antibiotic resistance genes in the Actinobacteria phylum
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (2019)
-
Effect of amikacin on cell wall glycopeptidolipid synthesis in Mycobacterium abscessus
Journal of Microbiology (2017)
-
Recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG for immunotherapy in nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (2015)
-
Class 1 integron in staphylococci
Molecular Biology Reports (2011)
-
Insertion sequence-based cassette PCR: cultivation-independent isolation of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading genes from soil DNA
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (2008)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.