20/1/2018 Integron - Wikipedia

Integron
Integrons are genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to adapt and evolve rapidly through the acquisition,
stockpiling and differential expression of new genes.[1] These genes are embedded in a specific genetic structure called
gene cassette (a term that is lately changing to integron cassette) that generally carries one promoterless ORF together
with a recombination site (attC). Integron cassettes are incorporated to the attI site of the integron platform by site-
specific recombination reactions mediated by the integrase.

Contents
Discovery
Structure
Gene Cassettes
Occurrence
Terminology
References
Further reading
External links

Discovery
Integrons were initially discovered on conjugative plasmids through their role in antibiotic resistance.[2] Indeed, these
mobile integrons, as they are now known, can carry a variety of cassettes containing genes that are almost exclusively
related to antibiotic resistance. Further studies have come to the conclusion that integrons are chromosomal elements,
and that their mobilisation onto plasmids has been fostered by transposons and selected by the intensive use of
antibiotics. The function of the majority of cassettes found in chromosomal integrons remains unknown.

Structure
An integron is minimally composed of:[3][4]

a gene encoding for a site-specific recombinase: intI, belonging to the integrase family
a proximal recombination site: attI, which is recognized by the integrase[5] and at which gene cassettes may be
inserted
a promoter: Pc, which directs transcription of cassette-encoded genes

Gene Cassettes
Additionally, an integron will usually contain one or more gene cassettes that have been incorporated into it. The gene
cassettes may encode genes for antibiotic resistance, although most genes in integrons are uncharacterized. An attC
sequence (also called 59-be) is a repeat that flanks cassettes and enables cassettes to be integrated at the attI site,
excised and undergo horizontal gene transfer.

Occurrence
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Integrons may be found as part of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and transposons. Integrons can also be
found in chromosomes.

Terminology
The term super-integron was first applied in 1998 (but without definition) to the integron with a long cassette array
on the small chromosome of Vibrio cholerae.[6][7] The term has since been used for integrons of various cassette array
lengths or for integrons on bacterial chromosomes (versus, for example, plasmids). Use of "super-integron" is now
discouraged since its meaning is unclear.[6]

References
1. "ASMscience | The Integron: Adaptation On Demand" (http://www.asmscience.org/content/journal/microbiolspec/1
0.1128/microbiolspec.MDNA3-0019-2014). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.mdna3-0019-2014 (https://doi.org/10.112
8%2Fmicrobiolspec.mdna3-0019-2014).
2. Mazel (2006). "Integrons: agents of bacterial evolution". Nature Reviews Microbiology. 4 (8): 608–620.
doi:10.1038/nrmicro1462 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnrmicro1462).
3. Kovalevskaya, N. P. (2002). "Mobile Gene Cassettes and Integrons". Molecular Biology. 36 (2): 196–201.
doi:10.1023/A:1015361704475 (https://doi.org/10.1023%2FA%3A1015361704475).
4. Hall R, Collis C, Kim M, Partridge S, Recchia G, Stokes H (1999) Mobile gene cassettes and integrons in
evolution.
5. Hall, RM; Collis, CM (1995). "Mobile gene cassettes and integrons: Capture and spread of genes by site-specific
recombination". Molecular Microbiology. 15 (4): 593–600. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.1995.tb02368.x (https://doi.org/
10.1111%2Fj.1365-2958.1995.tb02368.x). PMID 7783631 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7783631).
6. Hall, R. M.; Stokes, HW (2004). "Integrons or super integrons?". Microbiology. 150 (Pt 1): 3–4.
doi:10.1099/mic.0.26854-0 (https://doi.org/10.1099%2Fmic.0.26854-0). PMID 14702391 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.ni
h.gov/pubmed/14702391).
7. Mazel, D.; Dychinco, B; Webb, VA; Davies, J (1998). "A Distinctive Class of Integron in the Vibrio cholerae
Genome". Science. 280 (5363): 605–8. doi:10.1126/science.280.5363.605 (https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.28
0.5363.605). PMID 9554855 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9554855).

Medical terms (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32273)

Further reading
"Characterization of the Class 3 Integron and the Site-Specific Recombination System It Determines" (http://jb.as
m.org/cgi/content/abstract/184/11/3017). Journal of Bacteriology. 184 (11): 3017–3026. 2002.
doi:10.1128/jb.184.11.3017-3026.2002 (https://doi.org/10.1128%2Fjb.184.11.3017-3026.2002).
NCBI Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1998 Dec;42(12):3053-8. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cm
d=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9835490&dopt=Abstract) article Class 1 integron-borne multiple-antibiotic
resistance carried by IncFI and IncL/M plasmids in Salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium
Mazel, D. "Integrons: agents of bacterial evolution". Nature Reviews Microbiology. 4 (8): 608–620.
doi:10.1038/nrmicro1462 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnrmicro1462).

External links
IntegronFinder (https://github.com/gem-pasteur/Integron_Finder/) - A tool to detect integrons in bacterial genomes
INTEGRALL (http://integrall.bio.ua.pt/) - The Integron Database

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