title: The genetic diversity of cereulide biosynthesis gene cluster indicates a composite transposon Tnces in emetic Bacillus weihenstephanensis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cereulide is a cyclic dodecadepsipeptide ionophore, produced via non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), which in rare cases can lead to human death. Early studies had shown that emetic toxin formation belongs to a homogeneous group of Bacillus cereus sensu stricto and the genetic determinants of cereulide (a 24-kb gene cluster of cesHPTABCD) are located on a 270-kb plasmid related to the Bacillus anthracis virulence plasmid pXO1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The whole genome sequences from seven emetic isolates, including two B. cereus sensu stricto and five Bacillus weihenstephanensis strains, were compared, and their inside and adjacent DNA sequences of the cereulide biosynthesis gene clusters were analyzed. The sequence diversity was observed, which classified the seven emetic isolates into three clades. Different genomic locations of the cereulide biosynthesis gene clusters, plasmid-borne and chromosome-borne, were also found. Potential mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were identified in the flanking sequences of the ces gene cluster in all three types. The most striking observation was the identification of a putative composite transposon, Tnces, consisting of two copies of ISces element (belonging to IS6 family) in opposite orientations flanking the ces gene cluster in emetic B. weihenstephanensis. The mobility of this element was tested by replacing the ces gene cluster by a KmR gene marker and performing mating-out transposition assays in Escherichia coli. The results showed that Tnces::km transposes efficiently (1.04 × 10(-3) T/R) and produces 8-bp direct repeat (DR) at the insertion sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cereulide biosynthesis gene clusters display sequence diversity, different genomic locations and association with MGEs, in which the transposition capacity of a resistant derivative of the composite transposon Tnces in E. coli was demonstrated. Further study is needed to look for appropriate genetic tools to analysis the transposition of Tnces in Bacillus spp. and the dynamics of other MGEs flanking the ces gene clusters.
authors.forename: Xiaofen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Zhiming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahillon
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China. huxm@wh.iov.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaomin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D001407:Bacillus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002875:Chromosomes; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D047630:Depsipeptides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004639:Emetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D056426:Genetic Loci; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D010957:Plasmids; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D047630:Depsipeptides; D004639:Emetics; C089294:cereulide