Site-specific integration of mobile genetic elements in members of bacterial genus Acidithiobacillus

Horizontal gene transfer is a fundamental strategy for prokaryotic adaptation and surveillance, so improving the knowledge in this field could turn in a strategy for the exploitation and improve of biological process applied to the industry. In the extremophile bioleaching bacterium Acidithiobacillu...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Castillo Ramirez, Andres Edgardo
Tipo de recurso: tesis doctoral
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:Chile
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.anid.cl:10533/211003
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10533/211003
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ciencias Naturales
Otras Ciencias Naturales
Descripción
Sumario:Horizontal gene transfer is a fundamental strategy for prokaryotic adaptation and surveillance, so improving the knowledge in this field could turn in a strategy for the exploitation and improve of biological process applied to the industry. In the extremophile bioleaching bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans there is a 300 Kbp integrative and conjugative element that is active in excision, and inserts in a tDNA Ala gene in the genome. Among species from the genus Acidithiobacillus there is a common genetic context around the tDNA target for the integration, and presents a high similarity between the integrases, the enzymes that catalyze the process. Through DNA – protein binding assays and the developing of a genetic assay for in vivo integration, this work determined the influence of the genetic context in the choice for the integration site, and investigate whether these similarities at DNA and protein level allowed the integration of an integrative and conjugative element between two species of the genus. Our findings show an independence of the genetic context in the site-specific integration and demonstrate the high selectivity of the integrases despite their similarities.