Evolution of microcin V and colicin Ia plasmids in Escherichia coli.
Survey results and genotypic characterization of Escherichia coli strains demonstrate that the bacteriocins colicin Ia and microcin V coassociate in a strain more often than would be expected by chance. When these two bacteriocins co-occur, they are encoded on the same conjugative plasmid. Plasmids encoding colicin Ia and microcin V are nonrandomly distributed with respect to the genomic background of the host strain. Characterization of microcin V and colicin Ia nucleotide variation, together with the backbone of plasmids encoding these bacteriocins, indicates that the association has evolved on multiple occasions and involves the movement of the microcin V operon, together with the genes iroNEDCB and iss, onto a nonrandom subset of colicin Ia plasmids. The fitness advantage conferred on cells encoding both colicin Ia and microcin V has yet to be determined.
Jeziorowski
Anne
A
School of Botany & Zoology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 Australia.
Gordon
David M
DM
D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000235:genetics*; D003087:Colicins / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005787:Gene Frequency; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*
D001430:Bacteriocins; D003087:Colicins; C020411:microcin