A genomic island integrated into recA of V ibrio cholerae contains a divergent recA and provides multi‐pathway protection from DNA damage

Abstract

Summary Lateral gene transfer ( LGT ) has been crucial in the evolution of the cholera pathogen, V ibrio cholerae . The two major virulence factors are present on two different mobile genetic elements, a bacteriophage containing the cholera toxin genes and a genomic island ( GI ) containing the intestinal adhesin genes. Non‐toxigenic V . cholerae in the aquatic environment are a major source of novel DNA that allows the pathogen to morph via LGT . In this study, we report a novel GI from a non‐toxigenic V . cholerae strain containing multiple genes involved in DNA repair including the recombination repair gene recA that is 23% divergent from the indigenous recA and genes involved in the translesion synthesis pathway. This is the first report of a GI containing the critical gene recA and the first report of a GI that targets insertion into a specific site within recA . We show that possession of the island in E scherichia coli is protective against DNA damage induced by UV ‐irradiation and DNA targeting antibiotics. This study highlights the importance of genetic elements such as GIs in the evolution of V . cholerae and emphasizes the importance of environmental strains as a source of novel DNA that can influence the pathogenicity of toxigenic strains.

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