Characterization of the chromosomal aac(6')-Ii gene specific for Enterococcus faecium.
Chromosomal gene aac(6')-Ii of Enterococcus faecium CIP 54-32, encoding a 6'-N-aminoglycoside acetyltransferase was characterized. The gene was identified as a coding sequence of 549 bp corresponding to a protein with a calculated mass of 20,666 Da. Analysis of the sequence of the deduced protein suggested that it was the second member of a subfamily of AAC(6')-I enzymes. Insertional inactivation of aac(6')-Ii led to aminoglycoside susceptibility of CIP 54-32, suggesting that this gene plays a role in resistance to AAC(6')-I substrates. The gene was detected by DNA hybridization in all 26 strains of E. faecium tested but not in 44 other enterococci of 13 species. These data suggest that the aac(6')-Ii gene is species specific and may be used to identify E. faecium.
Costa
Y
Y
Service de Bactériologie-Virologie-Hygiène, Hôpital de Bicêtre, Université Paris Sud, France.
Galimand
M
M
Leclercq
R
R
Duval
J
J
Courvalin
P
P
D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010957:Plasmids
D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D000123:Acetyltransferases; C019681:aminoglycoside acetyltransferase