Conjugative Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus

2015 ◽  
pp. 83-87
Author(s):  
Cortney R. Halsey ◽  
Paul D. Fey
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Conjugative Transfer

scholarly journals Transposase-Mediated Excision, Conjugative Transfer, and Diversity of ICE6013 Elements in Staphylococcus aureus

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A. Sansevere ◽  
Xiao Luo ◽  
Joo Youn Park ◽  
Sunghyun Yoon ◽  
Keun Seok Seo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Integration Site ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Conjugative Plasmid ◽  
Site Preference ◽  
Conjugative Transfer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrative Conjugative Elements

ABSTRACT ICE6013 represents one of two families of integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) identified in the pan-genome of the human and animal pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Here we investigated the excision and conjugation functions of ICE6013 and further characterized the diversity of this element. ICE6013 excision was not significantly affected by growth, temperature, pH, or UV exposure and did not depend on recA. The IS30-like DDE transposase (Tpase; encoded by orf1 and orf2) of ICE6013 must be uninterrupted for excision to occur, whereas disrupting three of the other open reading frames (ORFs) on the element significantly affects the level of excision. We demonstrate that ICE6013 conjugatively transfers to different S. aureus backgrounds at frequencies approaching that of the conjugative plasmid pGO1. We found that excision is required for conjugation, that not all S. aureus backgrounds are successful recipients, and that transconjugants acquire the ability to transfer ICE6013. Sequencing of chromosomal integration sites in serially passaged transconjugants revealed a significant integration site preference for a 15-bp AT-rich palindromic consensus sequence, which surrounds the 3-bp target site that is duplicated upon integration. A sequence analysis of ICE6013 from different host strains of S. aureus and from eight other species of staphylococci identified seven divergent subfamilies of ICE6013 that include sequences previously classified as a transposon, a plasmid, and various ICEs. In summary, these results indicate that the IS30-like Tpase functions as the ICE6013 recombinase and that ICE6013 represents a diverse family of mobile genetic elements that mediate conjugation in staphylococci. IMPORTANCE Integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) encode the abilities to integrate into and excise from bacterial chromosomes and plasmids and mediate conjugation between bacteria. As agents of horizontal gene transfer, ICEs may affect bacterial evolution. ICE6013 represents one of two known families of ICEs in the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, but its core functions of excision and conjugation are not well studied. Here, we show that ICE6013 depends on its IS30-like DDE transposase for excision, which is unique among ICEs, and we demonstrate the conjugative transfer and integration site preference of ICE6013. A sequence analysis revealed that ICE6013 has diverged into seven subfamilies that are dispersed among staphylococci.

scholarly journals Activities of the Combination of Quinupristin-Dalfopristin with Rifampin In Vitro and in Experimental Endocarditis Due to Staphylococcus aureus Strains with Various Phenotypes of Resistance to Macrolide-Lincosamide-Streptogramin Antibiotics

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 1244-1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginie Zarrouk ◽  
Bülent Bozdogan ◽  
Roland Leclercq ◽  
Louis Garry ◽  
Celine Feger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Bactericidal Activity ◽  
Conjugative Transfer ◽  
Constitutive Resistance ◽  
Combination Studies ◽  
Kill Curve ◽  
Time Kill ◽  
High Mics

ABSTRACT We evaluated the activities of quinupristin-dalfopristin (Q-D), alone or in combination with rifampin, against three strains ofStaphylococcus aureus susceptible to rifampin (MIC, 0.06 μg/ml) and to Q-D (MICs, 0.5 to 1 μg/ml) but displaying various phenotypes of resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin antibiotics: S. aureus HM1054 was susceptible to quinupristin and dalfopristin (MICs of 8 and 4 μg/ml, respectively); for S. aureus RP13, the MIC of dalfopristin was high (MICs of quinupristin and dalfopristin for strain RP13, 8 and 32 μg/ml, respectively); and S. aureus HM1054R was obtained after conjugative transfer of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B constitutive resistance to HM1054, and the MIC of quinupristin for this strain was high (MICs of quinupristin and dalfopristin, 64 and 4 μg/ml, respectively). In vitro time-kill curve studies showed no difference between Q-D and rifampin, at a concentration of four times the MIC, against the three strains. Rabbits with aortic endocarditis were treated 4 days with Q-D, rifampin, or their combination. In vivo, the combination was highly bactericidal and synergistic against strains susceptible to quinupristin (HM1054 and RP13) and sterilized 94% of the animals. In contrast, the combination was neither synergistic nor bactericidal against the quinupristin-resistant strain (HM1054R) and did not prevent the emergence of mutants resistant to rifampin. We conclude that the in vivo synergistic and bactericidal activity of the combination of Q-D and rifampin against S. aureus is predicted by the absence of resistance to quinupristin but not by in vitro combination studies.

scholarly journals Conjugative transfer of high-level mupirocin resistance from Staphylococcus haemolyticus to other staphylococci.

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 693-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
E E Udo ◽  
L E Jacob ◽  
E M Mokadas
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Laboratory Strain ◽  
Conjugative Plasmid ◽  
Aureus Strain ◽  
Conjugative Transfer ◽  
Coagulase Negative Staphylococci ◽  
Chloramphenicol Resistance ◽  
Staphylococcus Haemolyticus ◽  
Mupirocin Resistance ◽  
High Level

A conjugative plasmid, pXU10, encoding high-level mupirocin resistance was transferred from a Staphylococcus haemolyticus isolate, CN216, to other coagulase-negative staphylococci and a restriction deficient Staphylococcus aureus strain, XU21, but not to clinical isolates or a restriction-proficient laboratory strain (strain WBG541) of S. aureus. However, from XU21 it was cotransferred with a 3.5-kb chloramphenicol resistance plasmid to WBG541. The results demonstrated the ability of pXU10 to mobilize nonconjugative plasmids.

scholarly journals Evolution of Staphylococcus aureus by Large Chromosomal Replacements

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (4) ◽  
pp. 1060-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Ashley Robinson ◽  
Mark C. Enright
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Mobile Genetic Elements ◽  
Conjugative Transfer ◽  
Bacterial Evolution ◽  
Genetic Elements ◽  
Unique Structure ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

ABSTRACT Conjugative transfer and replacement of hundreds of kilobases of a bacterial chromosome can occur in vitro, but replacements in nature are either an order of magnitude smaller or involve the movement of mobile genetic elements. We discovered that two lineages of Staphylococcus aureus, including a pandemic methicillin-resistant lineage, were founded by single chromosomal replacements of at least ∼244 and ∼557 kb representing ∼10 and ∼20% of the chromosome, respectively, without the obvious involvement of mobile genetic elements. The replacements are unprecedented in natural populations of bacteria because of their large size and unique structure and may have a dramatic impact on bacterial evolution.

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