A globally distributed mobile genetic element inhibits natural transformation of Vibrio cholerae

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Abstract
Significance: Bacterial pathogens evolve rapidly in the face of clinical interventions and therapeutics; one mechanism that can promote this evolution is their ability to acquire novel DNA sequences, known as horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Here, we studied HGT in clinical isolates of Vibrio cholerae , the causative agent of cholera, and found that a horizontally transferred element inhibits another mechanism of HGT—natural transformation. The element that inhibits natural transformation is globally distributed among V. cholerae isolates. We show, however, that there has been a rise in the prevalence of strains that lack this inhibitory element. Thus, our results suggest that in the future there may be an increase in the role of natural transformation on the evolution of this pathogen.
Funding Information
  • HHS | National Institutes of Health (AI055058)
  • HHS | National Institutes of Health (AI058935)

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