INVESTIGADORES
LOPEZ Nancy Irene
artículos
Título:
The polyhydroxyalkanoate genes of a stress resistant Antarctic Pseudomonas are situated within a genomic island
Autor/es:
AYUB, NICOLÁS D.; PETTINARI, M. JULIA; MÉNDEZ, BEATRIZ S.; LÓPEZ, NANCY I.
Revista:
PLASMID.
Editorial:
Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V.,
Referencias:
Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2007 vol. 58 p. 240 - 248
ISSN:
0147-619X
Resumen:
Pseudomonas sp. 14-3 is an Antarctic bacterium that shows high stress resistance in association with high polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production. In this paper genes involved in PHB biosynthesis (phaRBAC) were found within a genomic island named pha-GI. Numerous mobile elements or proteins associated with them, such as an integrase, insertion sequences, a bacterial group II intron, a complete Type I protein secretion system and IncP plasmid-related proteins were detected among the 28 ORFs identified in this large genetic element (32.3 kb). The G + C distribution was not homogeneous, likely reflecting a mosaic structure that contains regions from diverse origins. pha-GI has strong similarities with genomic islands found in diverse Proteobacteria, including Burkholderiales species and Azotobacter vinelandii. TheG + C content, phylogeny inference and codon usage analysis showed that the phaBAC cluster itself has a complex mosaic structure and indicated that the phaB and phaC genes were acquired by horizontal transfer, probably derived from Burkholderiales.These results describe for the first time a pha cluster located within a genomic island, and suggest that horizontal transfer of pha genes is a mechanism of adaptability to stress conditions such as those found in the extreme Antarctic environment.