Abstract : Integrons are found in the genome of hundreds of environmental bacteria but are mainly known for their role in the capture and spread of antibiotic resistance determinants among Gram-negative pathogens. We report a direct link between this system and the ubiquitous SOS response. We found that LexA controlled expression of most integron integrases and consequently regulated cassette recombination. This regulatory coupling enhanced the potential for cassette swapping and capture in cells under stress, while minimizing cassette rearrangements or loss in constant environments. This finding exposes integrons as integrated adaptive systems and has implications for antibiotic treatment policies.
https://hal-unilim.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00409031
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Soumis le : mercredi 5 août 2009 - 10:22:25 Dernière modification le : samedi 26 décembre 2020 - 13:46:04
Emilie Guérin, Guillaume Cambray, Neus Sanchez-Alberola, Susana Campoy, Ivan Erill, et al.. The SOS response controls integron recombination. Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2009, 324 (5930), pp.1034. ⟨10.1126/science.1172914⟩. ⟨hal-00409031⟩