title: Integrons: mobilizable platforms that promote genetic diversity in bacteria.
abstract: Integrons facilitate the capture of potentially adaptive exogenous genetic material by their host genomes. It is now clear that integrons are not limited to the clinical contexts in which they were originally discovered because approximately 10% of bacterial genomes that have been partially or completely sequenced harbour this genetic element. This wealth of sequence information has revealed that integrons are not only much more phylogenetically diverse than previously thought but also more mobilizable, with many integrons having been subjected to frequent lateral gene transfer throughout their evolutionary history. This indicates that the genetic characteristics that make integrons such efficient vectors for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes have been associated with these elements since their earliest origins. Here, we give an overview of the structural and phylogenetic diversity of integrons and describe evolutionary events that have contributed to the success of these genetic elements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Labbate
authors.forename: Jeremy E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Stokes
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D032023:Integrons / Q000235:genetics*; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D045522:Recombinases / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D045522:Recombinases