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Project

Ecology of the bacterial insertion sequence IS1071 and its role in microbial community adaptation by horizontal gene transfer

Micro-organisms are primary drivers of biogeochemical cycles and play a key role in animal and plant disease, in agriculture and food production. Anthropogenic activities affect their environment and functionality, and promote their adaptation and genetic diversification as shown by the emergence of antibiotic resistance genes and genes for xenobiotic degradation. Horizontal gene transfer involving a wide variety of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) is likely a main driver of bacterial diversification in nature and understanding the ecology of MGEs is key in understanding adaptation. Insertion Sequences (IS) are short DNA fragments capable of autonomous transposition between replicons. They can recruit “foreign” DNA fragments and make them prone to HGT. While much information exists on the molecular biology of IS elements, there is limited knowledge on their ecology and ecological relevance in a wide microbial community context. This project aims to acquire a better understanding of the ecology of IS element IS1071, a peculiar IS that appears to act widely in catabolic gene recruitment and dissemination. Using innovative culture-independent tools and experimental design involving both natural and artificial communities, it explores the prevalence and dynamics of IS1071 and the identity of its cargo genes in the natural environment in relation to the environmental conditions and will determine to what extent IS1071 mediated HGT contributes to community adaptation.
Date:1 Oct 2020 →  Today
Keywords:Microbial community, Gene acquisition, Horizontal gene transfer, Genetic adaptation, Insertion element
Disciplines:Microbiology not elsewhere classified