A Site-Specific Integrative Plasmid Found in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Isolate HS87 along with A Plasmid Carrying an Aminoglycoside-Resistant Gene

PLoS One. 2016 Feb 3;11(2):e0148367. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148367. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Plasmids play critical roles in bacterial fitness and evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here two plasmids found in a drug-resistant P. aeruginosa clinical isolate HS87 were completely sequenced. The pHS87b plasmid (11.2 kb) carries phage-related genes and function-unknown genes. Notably, pHS87b encodes an integrase and has an adjacent tRNAThr-associated attachment site. A corresponding integrated form of pHS87b at the tRNAThr locus was identified on the chromosome of P. aeruginosa, showing that pHS87b is able to site-specifically integrate into the 3'-end of the tRNAThr gene. The pHS87a plasmid (26.8 kb) displays a plastic structure containing a putative replication module, stability factors and a variable region. The RepA of pHS87a shows significant similarity to the replication proteins of pPT23A-family plasmids. pHS87a carries a transposon Tn6049, a truncated insertion sequence ΔIS1071 and a Tn402-like class 1 integron which contains an aacA4 cassette that may confer aminoglycoside resistance. Thus, pHS87b is a site-specific integrative plasmid whereas pHS87a is a plastic antibiotic resistance plasmid. The two native plasmids may promote the fitness and evolution of P. aeruginosa.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aminoglycosides*
  • Chromosomes, Bacterial / genetics*
  • DNA Transposable Elements / genetics
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics*
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Plasmids / genetics*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / genetics*
  • RNA, Transfer, Thr / genetics
  • Replication Origin / genetics

Substances

  • Aminoglycosides
  • DNA Transposable Elements
  • RNA, Transfer, Thr

Grants and funding

The 973 program, Ministry of Science and Technology, China (2015CB554202); National Natural Science Foundation of China (31170082); Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education, China (20130073110062); Sino-UK Higher Education Research Partnership for PhD Studies grant (to HYO and KR).