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The role of insertions, deletions, and substitutions in the evolution of R6 related plasmids encoding aminoglycoside transferase ANT-(2″)

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Summary

In 7% of gram-negative bacteria resistance to gentamicin is mainly mediated by plasmid-encoded aminoglycoside transferase ANT-(2″). The genome organization of 15 aadB plasmids (42-110 kb) was analyzed by restriction and hybridization techniques. They appeared to be IncFII-like replicons but were distinct from R6 by virtue of small substitutions in the transfer region. Aminoglycoside resistance genes aadB and aadA were located on Tn21 related elements. Only one of them was able to transpose its resistance genes mer sul aadA and aadB (Tn4000), the other elements were naturally occurring defective transposons. In some of these structures deletions were identified at the termini, at sul, aadA, mer or transposition function-insertions adjacent to aadA or mer. The mode of these rearrangements and their site-specificity were considered with respect to the evolution of the Tn21 transposon family.

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Abbreviations

aadA (genotype):

AAD-(3″) (phenotype): aminoglycoside 3″-adenylytransferase

aadB :

ANT-(2″): aminoglycoside 2″-adenylyltransferase

aphA :

APH-(3′)I: aminoglycoside 3′-phosphotransferase

aacA :

AAC-(6′): aminoglycoside 6-N′-acetyl-transferase

aacC :

AAC-(3): aminoglycoside 3-N′-acetyltransferase

cat :

CAT: chloramphenicol-acetyltransferase

Ap:

ampicillin

Su:

sulfonamides

Tc:

tetracycline

Sm:

streptomycin

Spe:

spectinomycin

Hg:

mercury

Cb:

carbenicillin

Dk:

dibekacin

Gm:

gentamicin

Km:

kanamycin

Nm:

neomycin

Net:

netilmycin

Pm:

paromomycin

But:

butirosin

Tm:

tobramycin

Sis:

sisomycin

Cm:

chloramphenicol

kb:

kilobase

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  1. Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie der Universität, An der Immenburg 4, D-5300, Bonn 1, Federal Republic of Germany

    F. Schmidt

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Communicated by K. Isono

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Schmidt, F. The role of insertions, deletions, and substitutions in the evolution of R6 related plasmids encoding aminoglycoside transferase ANT-(2″). Molec. Gen. Genet. 194, 248–259 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383524

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383524

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