Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/6839
Title: | Co-assortment in integron-associated gene cassette assemblages in environmental DNA samples | Contributor(s): | Michael, Carolyn A (author); Andrew, Nigel Reece (author) | Publication Date: | 2010 | Open Access: | Yes | DOI: | 10.1186/1471-2156-11-75 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/6839 | Abstract: | Background: It has been shown that integron-associated gene cassettes exist largely in tandem arrays of variable size, ranging from antibiotic resistance arrays of three to five cassettes up to arrays of more than 100 cassettes associated with the vibrios. Further, the ecology of the integron/gene cassette system has been investigated by showing that very many different cassettes are present in even small environmental samples. In this study, we seek to extend the ecological perspective on the integron/gene cassette system by investigating the way in which this diverse cassette metagenome is apportioned amongst prokaryote lineages in a natural environment. Results: We used a combination of PCR-based techniques applied to environmental DNA samples and ecological analytical techniques to establish co-assortment within cassette populations, then establishing the relationship between this co-assortment and genomic structures. We then assessed the distribution of gene cassettes within the environment and found that the majority of gene cassettes existed in large co-assorting groups. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the gene cassette diversity of a relatively pristine sampling environment was structured into co-assorting groups, predominantly containing large numbers of cassettes per group. These co-assorting groups consisted of different gene cassettes in stoichiometric relationship. Conservatively, we then attributed co-assorting cassettes to the gene cassette complements of single prokaryote lineages and by implication, to large integron-associated arrays. The prevalence of large arrays in the environment raises new questions about the assembly, maintenance and utility of large cassette arrays in prokaryote populations. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | BMC Genetics, v.11, p. 1-10 | Publisher: | BioMed Central Ltd | Place of Publication: | United Kingdom | ISSN: | 1471-2156 | Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 060504 Microbial Ecology | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 960505 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Forest and Woodlands Environments | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
---|---|
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
open/SOURCE01.pdf | Publisher version (open access) | 527.55 kB | Adobe PDF Download Adobe | View/Open |
SCOPUSTM
Citations
3
checked on Nov 30, 2018
Page view(s)
1,038
checked on May 21, 2023
Download(s)
214
checked on May 21, 2023
Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.