title: Tn5-mediated bleomycin resistance in Escherichia coli requires the expression of host genes.
abstract: The transposon Tn5 expresses a gene, ble, whose product increases the viability of Escherichia coli and also confers resistance to the DNA-cleaving antibiotic bleomycin and the DNA-alkylating agent ethylmethanesulphonate. We find that the Ble protein induces expression of an alkylation inducible gene, aidC, and that both the AidC gene product and DNA polymerase I are required for Ble to confer bleomycin resistance. These findings support models in which Ble enhances DNA repair and suggest that Tn5 confers a fitness advantage to the host bacterium by increasing the repair of spontaneous DNA lesions. Such co-operation between a transposon and its host suggests that Tn5 is a symbiotic rather than a selfish DNA element.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Mikrobiologie, Universität Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blot
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heitman
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Arber
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004249:DNA Damage; D045647:DNA Glycosylases; D004256:DNA Polymerase I / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate / Q000494:pharmacology; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D001761:Bleomycin; D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate; C045675:Ada protein, E coli; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; D004256:DNA Polymerase I; D045647:DNA Glycosylases; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; C076131:DNA-3-methyladenine glycosidase II