title: A group II intron in a conjugative transposon from the gram-positive bacterium, Clostridium difficile.
abstract: We have been studying the conjugative transposon Tn5397, originally isolated from the Gram-positive pathogen Clostridium difficile. Physical analysis of this transposon demonstrated that it contained a group II intron. This is the first report of an intron in a conjugative transposon and the first report of a group II intron in Gram-positive bacteria. The intron interrupted a gene in Tn5397 that is almost identical to orf14 from Tn916. DNA hybridisation analysis showed that elements related to Tn5397, containing the group II intron, were present in five other C. difficile strains from different geographical locations suggesting that the element is likely to be widely distributed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Marischal College, University of Aberdeen, UK. p.mullany@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mullany
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pallen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilks
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Stephen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tabaqchali
mesh_terms: D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial