Tn5384, a composite enterococcal mobile element conferring resistance to erythromycin and gentamicin whose ends are directly repeated copies of IS256

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1995 May;39(5):1147-53. doi: 10.1128/AAC.39.5.1147.

Abstract

We have identified a 26-kb mobile element from Enterococcus faecalis CH116, designated Tn5384, which confers resistance to erythromycin and to high levels of gentamicin. Tn5384 is a composite element containing three copies of insertion element IS256. Two of the IS256 copies flank the aac6'-aph2" bifunctional aminoglycoside-modifying-enzyme gene in the inverted orientation, forming a structure similar to staphylococcal gentamicin resistance transposon Tn4001. One of the IS256 elements involved in the Tn4001-like structure also forms the left end of Tn5384, the right end of which is a directly repeated insertion of IS256 approximately 23 kb downstream of the leftmost insertion. Insertions of Tn5384 into enterococcal plasmid pLRM1 have been found associated with 8- and 9-bp duplications of the target sequence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Conjugation, Genetic
  • DNA Transposable Elements*
  • DNA, Bacterial / analysis
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics
  • Enterococcus faecalis / drug effects*
  • Enterococcus faecalis / genetics*
  • Erythromycin / pharmacology*
  • Gentamicins / pharmacology*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plasmids
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

Substances

  • DNA Transposable Elements
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Gentamicins
  • Erythromycin