The Association between Insertion Sequences and Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Abstract

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among pathogens threaten the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections as well as our food production chains. Early knowledge about mobile ARGs that are present in pathogens or that have the potential to become clinically relevant could help mitigate potential negative consequences. Recently, exploring integron gene cassettes was shown to be successful for identifying novel mobilized ARGs, some of which were already circulating in pathogens. Still, only a subset of ARGs is mobilized by integrons, and the contexts of other mobile genetic elements associated with ARGs remain unexplored. This includes insertion sequences (ISs) responsible for the mobilization of many ARGs. Our analyses identified ISs, species, and environments where ARG-IS relationships are particularly strong. This could be a first step to guide the discovery of novel ARGs, while also providing insights into mechanisms involved in the mobilization and transfer of ARGs.