Targeted Conservative Cointegrate Formation Mediated by IS26 Family Members Requires Sequence Identity at the Reacting End

IS26 and the IS26 family: versatile resistance gene movers and genome reorganizers

SUMMARYIn Gram-negative bacteria, the insertion sequence IS26 is highly active in disseminating antibiotic resistance genes. IS26 can recruit a gene or group of genes into the mobile gene pool and support their continued dissemination to new locations by creating pseudo-compound transposons (PCTs) that can be further mobilized by the insertion sequence (IS). IS26 can also enhance expression of adjacent potential resistance genes. IS26 encodes a DDE transposase but has unique properties. It forms cointegrates between two separate DNA molecules using two mechanisms. The well-known copy-in (replicative) route generates an additional IS copy and duplicates the target site. The recently discovered and more efficient and targeted conservative mechanism requires an IS in both participating molecules and does not generate any new sequence. The unit of movement for PCTs, known as a translocatable unit or TU, includes only one IS26. TU formed by homologous recombination between the bounding IS26s can be reincorporated via either cointegration route. However, the targeted conservative reaction is key to generation of arrays of overlapping PCTs seen in resistant pathogens. Using the copy-in route, IS26 can also act on a site in the same DNA molecule, either inverting adjacent DNA or generating an adjacent deletion plus a circular molecule carrying the DNA segment lost and an IS copy. If reincorporated, these circular molecules create a new PCT. IS26 is the best characterized IS in the IS26 family, which includes IS257/IS431, ISSau10, IS1216, IS1006, and IS1008 that are also implicated in spreading resistance genes in Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens.

The RuvABC Holliday Junction Processing System Is Not Required for IS26-Mediated Targeted Conservative Cointegrate Formation

The insertion sequence IS26 plays a key role in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in Gram-negative bacteria. IS26 and members of the IS26 family are able to use two distinct mechanisms to form cointegrates made up of two DNA molecules linked via directly oriented copies of the IS. The well-known copy-in (formerly replicative) reaction occurs at very low frequency, and the more recently discovered targeted conservative reaction, which joins two molecules that already include an IS, is substantially more efficient. Experimental evidence has indicated that, in the targeted conservative mode, the action of Tnp26, the IS26 transposase, is required only at one end. How the Holliday junction (HJ) intermediate generated by the Tnp26-catalyzed single-strand transfer is processed to form the cointegrate is not known. We recently proposed that branch migration and resolution via the RuvABC system may be needed to process the HJ; here, we have tested this hypothesis. In reactions between a wild-type and a mutant IS26, the presence of mismatched bases near one IS end impeded the use of that end. In addition, evidence of gene conversion, potentially consistent with branch migration, was detected in some of the cointegrates formed. However, the targeted conservative reaction occurred in strains that lacked the recG, ruvA, or ruvC genes. As the RuvC HJ resolvase is not required for targeted conservative cointegrate formation, the HJ intermediate formed by the action of Tnp26 must be resolved by an alternate route. IMPORTANCE In Gram-negative bacteria, the contribution of IS26 to the spread of antibiotic resistance and other genes that provide cells with an advantage under specific conditions far exceeds that of any other known insertion sequence. This is likely due to the unique mechanistic features of IS26 action, particularly its propensity to cause deletions of adjacent DNA segments and the ability of IS26 to use two distinct reaction modes for cointegrate formation. The high frequency of the unique targeted conservative reaction mode that occurs when both participating molecules include an IS26 is also key. Insights into the detailed mechanism of this reaction will help to shed light on how IS26 contributes to the diversification of the bacterial and plasmid genomes it is found in. These insights will apply more broadly to other members of the IS26 family found in Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative pathogens.

F18:A-:B1 Plasmids Carrying blaCTX-M-55 Are Prevalent among Escherichia coli Isolated from Duck-Fish Polyculture Farms

We determined the prevalence and molecular characteristics of bla_CTX-M-55-positive Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from duck-fish polyculture farms in Guangzhou, China. A total of 914 E. coli strains were isolated from 2008 duck and environmental samples (water, soil and plants) collected from four duck fish polyculture farms between 2017 and 2019. Among them, 196 strains were CTX-M-1G-positive strains by PCR, and 177 (90%) bla_CTX-M-1G-producing strains were bla_CTX-M-55-positive. MIC results showed that the 177 bla_CTX-M-55-positive strains were highly resistant to ciprofloxacin, ceftiofur and florfenicol, with antibiotic resistance rates above 95%. Among the 177 strains, 37 strains carrying the F18:A-:B1 plasmid and 10 strains carrying the F33:A-:B- plasmid were selected for further study. Pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) combined with S1-PFGE, Southern hybridization and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis showed that both horizontal transfer and clonal spread contributed to dissemination of the bla_CTX-M-55 gene among the E. coli. bla_CTX-M-55 was located on different F18:A-:B1 plasmids with sizes between ~76 and ~173 kb. In addition, the presence of bla_CTX-M-55 with other resistance genes (e.g., tetA, floR, fosA3, bla_TEM, aadA5 CmlA and InuF) on the same F18:A-:B1 plasmid may result in co-selection of resistance determinants and accelerate the dissemination of bla_CTX-M-55 in E. coli. In summary, the F18:A-:B1 plasmid may play an important role in the transmission of bla_CTX-M-55 in E. coli, and the continuous monitoring of the prevalence and transmission mechanism of bla_CTX-M-55 in duck-fish polyculture farms remains important.

Mechanisms of IS26-Mediated Amplification of the aphA1 Gene Leading to Tobramycin Resistance in an Acinetobacter baumannii Isolate

Enhanced levels of resistance to antibiotics arising from amplification of an antibiotic resistance gene that impact therapeutic options are increasingly observed. Amplification can also disclose novel phenotypes leading to treatment failure. However, the mechanism is poorly understood. Here, the route to amplification of the aphA1 kanamycin and neomycin resistance gene during tobramycin treatment of an Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolate, leading to tobramycin resistance and treatment failure, was investigated. In the tobramycin-susceptible parent isolate, MRSN56, a single copy of aphA1 is present in the pseudocompound transposon PTn6020, bounded by directly oriented copies of IS26. For two clinical resistant isolates, new long-read sequence data were combined with available short-read data to complete the genomes. Comparison to the completed genome of MRSN56 revealed that, in both cases, IS26 had generated a circular translocatable unit (TU) containing PTn6020 and additional adjacent DNA. In one case, this TU was reincorporated into the second product generated by the deletion that formed the TU via the targeted conservative route and amplified about 7 times. In the second case, the TU was incorporated at a new location via the copy-in route and amplified about 65 times. Experimental amplification ex vivo by subjecting MRSN56 to tobramycin selection pressure yielded different TUs, which were incorporated at either the original location or a new location and amplified many times. The outcomes suggest that when IS26 is involved, amplification occurs via rolling circle replication of a newly formed TU coupled to the IS26-mediated TU formation or reincorporation step. IMPORTANCE Heteroresistance, a significant issue that is known to impact antibiotic treatment outcomes, is caused by the presence of spontaneously arising cells with elevated levels of resistance to therapeutically important antibiotics in a population of susceptible cells. Gene amplification is one well-documented cause of heteroresistance, but precisely how extensive amplification occurs is not understood. Here, we establish the case for the direct involvement of IS26 activity in the amplification of the aphA1 gene to disclose resistance to tobramycin. The aphA1 gene is usually found associated with IS26 in Gram-negative pathogens and is commonly found in extensively resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains. IS26 and related IS cause adjacent deletions, forming a nonreplicating circular molecule known as a translocatable unit (TU), and amplification via a rolling circle mechanism appears to be coupled to either IS26-mediated TU formation or reincorporation. Related IS found in Gram-positive pathogens may play a similar role.

Genomic analysis of CTX-M-115 and OXA-23/-72 co-producing Acinetobacter baumannii, and their potential to spread resistance genes by natural transformation

OBJECTIVES

To characterize Acinetobacter baumannii strains co-producing the ESBL CTX-M-115 and carbapenem-hydrolysing class D β-lactamases (CHDLs), and to assess the potential diffusion of their resistance genes by horizontal transfer.

METHODS

Nineteen CTX-M-115/CHDL-positive A. baumannii were collected between 2015 and 2019 from patients hospitalized in France. Their whole-genome sequences were determined on Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms and were compared through core-genome MLST (cgMLST) and SNP analyses. Transferability of resistance genes was investigated by natural transformation assays.

RESULTS

Eighteen strains were found to harbour CHDL OXA-72, and another one CHDL OXA-23, in addition to CTX-M-115, narrow-spectrum β-lactamases and aminoglycoside resistance determinants including ArmA. cgMLST typing, as well as Oxford Scheme ST and K locus typing, confirmed that 17 out of the 18 CTX-M-115/OXA-72 isolates belonged to new subclades within clonal complex 78 (CC78). The chromosomal region carrying the blaCTX-M-115 gene appeared to vary greatly both in gene content and in length (from 20 to 79 kb) among the strains, likely because of IS26-mediated DNA rearrangements. The blaOXA-72 gene was localized on closely related plasmids showing structural variations that occurred between pdif sites. Transfer of all the β-lactamase genes, as well as aminoglycoside resistance determinants to a drug-susceptible A. baumannii recipient, was easily obtained in vitro by natural transformation.

CONCLUSIONS

This work highlights the propensity of CC78 isolates to collect multiple antibiotic resistance genes, to rearrange and to pass them to other A. baumannii strains via natural transformation. This process, along with mobile genetic elements, likely contributes to the considerable genomic plasticity of clinical strains, and to the diversity of molecular mechanisms sustaining their multidrug resistance.

Extensively resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolate RCH52 carries several resistance genes derived from an IncC plasmid

OBJECTIVES

To identify the origins of resistance in a sporadic extensively resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolate.

METHODS

The complete genome of RCH52 was determined by combining available Illumina short reads with MinION (Oxford Nanopore) long reads using Unicycler. Bioinformatic searches were used to identify features of interest.

RESULTS

The complete genome of RCH52 revealed an unusual chromosomal region containing all of the antibiotic resistance genes, except tet39, which is in a plasmid. A 129 585 bp segment was bounded by inversely oriented copies of ISAba1 and included two groups of resistance genes separated by the large segment of the backbone of type 1 IncC plasmids that lies between the ARI-A and ARI-B resistance islands but does not include the replication region. The ISAba1-bounded segment was located in a novel integrative element that had integrated into the chromosomal thyA gene but provided a replacement thyA gene. Several resistance genes are derived from either the ARI-A or the ARI-B resistance islands found in IncC plasmids that have been brought together by an IS26-mediated deletion of the original plasmid. This non-replicating circular molecule (or translocatable unit) has been incorporated into a smaller ISAba1-bounded unit that includes oxa23 in Tn2008B via homologous recombination between sul2-CR2-floR segments found in both.

CONCLUSIONS

The plasmids shared by most Gram-negative pathogens, including the broad host range IncC plasmids, have not been detected in Acinetobacter species. However, it seems likely that they can conjugate into members of this genus and contribute pre-existing clusters of antibiotic resistance genes.

Comment on "the IS6 family, a clinically important group of insertion sequences including IS26" by Varani and co-authors

The insertion sequence IS26 has long been known to play a major role in the recruitment of antibiotic resistance genes into the mobile resistance gene pool of Gram-negative bacteria and IS26 also plays a major role in their subsequent broad dissemination. Related IS, IS431/257 and IS1216 are important in the same roles in Gram positive bacteria. However, until recently the properties of IS26 movement that could potentially explain this ability had not been explored. A much needed insight has come from our recent demonstration that IS26 uses a novel targeted mechanism that is conservative. The targeted conservative mechanism is much more efficient than the known replicative mechanism, which is now more accurately called copy-in. A recent review “The IS6 family, a clinically important group of insertion sequences including IS26” by Varani, He, Siguier, Ross and Chandler published in Mobile DNA has substantially misrepresented the recent studies on the targeted conservative mechanism and at the same time incorrectly implied that any mechanism established for IS26 can be assumed to apply to a range of IS that are at best very distantly related. A few of the most important issues are examined in this comment. Readers are advised to consult the original literature to check facts before drawing firm conclusions.

Characterization of the specific DNA-binding properties of Tnp26, the transposase of insertion sequence IS26

The bacterial insertion sequence (IS) IS26 mobilizes and disseminates antibiotic resistance genes. It differs from bacterial IS that have been studied to date as it exclusively forms cointegrates via either a copy-in (replicative) or a recently discovered targeted conservative mode. To investigate how the Tnp26 transposase recognizes the 14-bp terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) that bound the IS, amino acids in two domains in the N-terminal (amino acids M1-P56) region were replaced. These changes substantially reduced cointegration in both modes. Tnp26 was purified as a maltose-binding fusion protein and shown to bind specifically to dsDNA fragments that included an IS26 TIR. However, Tnp26 with an R49A or a W50A substitution in helix 3 of a predicted trihelical helix-turn-helix domain (amino acids I13-R53) or an F4A or F9A substitution replacing the conserved amino acids in a unique disordered N-terminal domain (amino acids M1-D12) did not bind. The N-terminal M1-P56 fragment also bound to the TIR but only at substantially higher concentrations, indicating that other parts of Tnp26 enhance the binding affinity. The binding site was confined to the internal part of the TIR, and a G to T nucleotide substitution in the TGT at positions 6 to 8 of the TIR that is conserved in most IS26 family members abolished binding of both Tnp26 (M1-M234) and Tnp26 M1-P56 fragment. These findings indicate that the helix-turn-helix and disordered domains of Tnp26 play a role in Tnp26-TIR complex formation. Both domains are conserved in all members of the IS26 family.

IS26 Is Responsible for the Evolution and Transmission of blaNDM-Harboring Plasmids in Escherichia coli of Poultry Origin in China

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are some of the most important pathogens responsible for nosocomial infections, which can be challenging to treat. The bla_NDM carbapenemase genes, which are expressed by New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Escherichia coli isolates, have been found in humans, environmental samples, and multiple other sources worldwide. Importantly, these genes have also been found in farm animals, which are considered an NDM reservoir and an important source of human infections. However, the dynamic evolution of bla_NDM genetic contexts and bla_NDM-harboring plasmids has not been directly observed, making it difficult to assess the extent of horizontal dissemination of the bla_NDM gene. In this study, we detected NDM-1 (n = 1), NDM-5 (n = 24), and NDM-9 (n = 8) variants expressed by E. coli strains isolated from poultry in China from 2016 to 2017. By analyzing the immediate genetic environment of the bla_NDM genes, we found that IS26 was associated with multiple types of bla_NDM multidrug resistance regions, and we identified various IS26-derived circular intermediates. Importantly, in E. coli strain GD33, we propose that IncHI2 and IncI1 plasmids can fuse when IS26 is present. Our analysis of the IS26 elements flanking bla_NDM allowed us to propose an important role for IS26 elements in the evolution of multidrug-resistant regions (MRRs) and in the dissemination of bla_NDM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of the dynamic evolution of bla_NDM genetic contexts and bla_NDM-harboring plasmids. These findings could help proactively limit the transmission of these NDM-producing isolates from food animals to humans. IMPORTANCE Carbapenem resistance in members of the order Enterobacterales is a growing public health problem that is associated with high mortality in developing and industrialized countries. Moreover, in the field of veterinary medicine, the occurrence of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolates in animals, especially food-producing animals, has become a growing concern in recent years. The wide dissemination of bla_NDM is closely related to mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and plasmids. Although previous analyses have explored the association of many different MGEs with mobilization of bla_NDM, little is known about the evolution of various genetic contexts of bla_NDM in E. coli. Here, we report the important role of IS26 in forming multiple types of bla_NDM multidrug resistance cassettes and the dynamic recombination of plasmids bearing bla_NDM. These results suggest that significant attention should be paid to monitoring the transmission and further evolution of bla_NDM-harboring plasmids among E. coli strains of food animal origin.

IS26 cannot move alone

BACKGROUND

IS26 plays a major role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance determinants in Gram-negative bacteria.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether insertion sequence IS26 is able to move alone (simple transposition) or if it exclusively forms cointegrates.

METHODS

A two-step PCR using outward-facing primers was used to search for circular IS26 molecules. Gibson assembly was used to clone a synthetic IS26 containing a catA1 chloramphenicol resistance gene downstream of the tnp26 transposase gene into pUC19. IS activity in a recA-Escherichia coli containing the non-conjugative pUC19-derived IS26::catA1 construct and the conjugative plasmid R388 was detected using a standard mating-out assay. Transconjugants were screened for resistance.

RESULTS

Circular IS26 molecules that would form with a copy-out route were not detected by PCR. The synthetic IS26::catA1 construct formed CmRTpR transconjugants (where CmR and TpR stand for chloramphenicol resistant and trimethoprim resistant, respectively), representing an R388 derivative carrying the catA1 gene at a frequency of 5.6 × 10-7 CmRTpR transconjugants per TpR transconjugant, which is comparable to the copy-in activity of the unaltered IS26. To test for simple transposition of IS26::catA1 (without the plasmid backbone), 1200 CmRTpR colonies were screened and all were resistant to ampicillin, indicating that the pUC19 backbone was present. Hence, IS26::catA1 had only formed cointegrates.

CONCLUSIONS

IS26 is unable to move alone and cointegrates are the exclusive end products of the reactions mediated by the IS26 transposase Tnp26. Consequently, when describing the formation of complex resistance regions, simple 'transposition' of a single IS26 should not be invoked.

The IS6 family, a clinically important group of insertion sequences including IS26

The IS6 family of bacterial and archaeal insertion sequences, first identified in the early 1980s, has proved to be instrumental in the rearrangement and spread of multiple antibiotic resistance. Two IS, IS26 (found in many enterobacterial clinical isolates as components of both chromosome and plasmids) and IS257 (identified in the plasmids and chromosomes of gram-positive bacteria), have received particular attention for their clinical impact. Although few biochemical data are available concerning the transposition mechanism of these elements, genetic studies have provided some interesting observations suggesting that members of the family might transpose using an unexpected mechanism. In this review, we present an overview of the family, the distribution and phylogenetic relationships of its members, their impact on their host genomes and analyse available data concerning the particular transposition pathways they may use. We also provide a mechanistic model that explains the recent observations on one of the IS6 family transposition pathways: targeted cointegrate formation between replicons.