AUTHOR=Ryan Michael P. , Armshaw Patricia , Pembroke J. Tony 

TITLE=SXT/R391 Integrative and Conjugative Elements (ICEs) Encode a Novel ‘Trap-Door’ Strategy for Mobile Element Escape

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00829

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.00829

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) are a class of bacterial mobile elements that have the ability to mediate their own integration, excision, and transfer from one host genome to another by a mechanism of site-specific recombination, self-circularisation, and conjugative transfer. Members of the SXT/R391 ICE family of enterobacterial mobile genetic elements display an unusual UV-inducible sensitization function which results in stress induced killing of bacterial cells harboring the ICE. This sensitization has been shown to be associated with a stress induced overexpression of a mobile element encoded conjugative transfer gene, <italic>orf</italic>43, a <italic>tra</italic>V homolog. This results in cell lysis and release of a circular form of the ICE. Induction of this novel system may allow transfer of an ICE, enhancing its survival potential under conditions not conducive to conjugative transfer.</p>