The expression of integron arrays is shaped by the translation rate of cassettes

Integrons are key elements in the rise and spread of multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. These genetic platforms capture cassettes containing promoterless genes and stockpile them in arrays of variable length. In the current integron model, expression of cassettes is granted by the Pc pr...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Carvalho, André, Hipólito, Alberto, Trigo da Roza, Filipa, García Pastor, Lucía, Vergara, Ester, Buendía, Aranzazu, García-Seco Romero, María Teresa, Escudero García-Calderón, José Antonio
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Recursos:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/110146
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/110146
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:636.09
Veterinaria
3109 Ciencias Veterinarias
Descrição
Resumo:Integrons are key elements in the rise and spread of multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. These genetic platforms capture cassettes containing promoterless genes and stockpile them in arrays of variable length. In the current integron model, expression of cassettes is granted by the Pc promoter in the platform and is assumed to decrease as a function of its distance. Here we explored this model using a large collection of 136 antibiotic resistance cassettes and show the effect of distance is in fact negligible. Instead, cassettes have a strong impact in the expression of downstream genes because their translation rate affects the stability of the whole polycistronic mRNA molecule. Hence, cassettes with reduced translation rates decrease the expression and resistance phenotype of cassettes downstream. Our data puts forward an integron model in which expression is contingent on the translation of cassettes upstream, rather than on the distance to the Pc.