title: Super-integrons.
abstract: Integrons represent the primary mechanism for antibiotic resistance gene capture and dissemination among gram-negative bacteria. The recent finding of super-integron (SI) structures in the genomes of several bacterial species has expanded their role in genome evolution. The Vibrio cholerae superintegron is gathered in a single chromosomal super-structure harbouring hundreds of gene cassettes. The encoded functions, when identifiable, are linked to adaptations extending beyond antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity. Comparison of the cassette contents of super-integrons from remote Vibrio species suggests that most of their cassettes are species-specific. Many bacterial species belonging to several distinct genera of the gamma- and beta-proteobacteria undoubtedly carry or show strong evidence for the presence of chromosomal SIs. If each bacterial species harbouring a SI has its own cassette pool, the resource in terms of gene cassette availability may be immense.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Programmation Moléculaire et Toxicologie Génétique, CNRS URA 1444, Département des Biotechnologies, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rowe-Magnus
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Guérout
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazel
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D019426:Integrases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013045:Species Specificity; D014733:Vibrio / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D019426:Integrases