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The Integron/Gene Cassette System: An Active Player in Bacterial Adaptation

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Horizontal Gene Transfer

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 532))

Abstract

The integron includes a site-specific recombination system capable of integrating and expressing genes contained in structures called mobile gene cassettes. Integrons were originally identified on mobile elements from pathogenic bacteria and were found to be a major reservoir of antibiotic-resistance genes. Integrons are now known to be ancient structures that are phylogenetically diverse and, to date, have been found in approximately 9% of sequenced bacterial genomes. Overall, gene diversity in cassettes is extraordinarily high, suggesting that the integron/gene cassette system has a broad role in adaptation rather than being confined to simply conferring resistance to antibiotics. In this chapter, we provide a review of the integron/gene cassette system highlighting characteristics associated with this system, diversity of elements contained within it, and their importance in driving bacterial evolution and consequently adaptation. Ideas on the evolution of gene cassettes and gene cassette arrays are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Maurizio Labbate & Hatch W. Stokes

  2. Harvard Center for the Environment (HUCE) and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Rebecca Josephine Case

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  1. Maurizio Labbate
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  2. Rebecca Josephine Case
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  3. Hatch W. Stokes
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Connecticut, 968 Warrenville Road, Mansfield Center, CT 06250, USA

    Maria Boekels Gogarten

  2. Dept. Molecular & Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, 91 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-3125, USA

    Johann Peter Gogarten

  3. Biology Department, St. Lawrence University, 23 Romoda Drive, Canton, NY 13617, USA

    Lorraine C. Olendzenski

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Labbate, M., Case, R.J., Stokes, H.W. (2009). The Integron/Gene Cassette System: An Active Player in Bacterial Adaptation. In: Gogarten, M.B., Gogarten, J.P., Olendzenski, L.C. (eds) Horizontal Gene Transfer. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 532. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-853-9_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-853-9_6

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