@article{mbs:/content/journal/micro/10.1099/13500872-142-8-2165, author = "Kovach, Michael E. and Shaffer, Megan D. and Peterson, Kenneth M.", title = "A putative integrase gene defines the distal end of a large cluster of ToxR-regulated colonization genes in Vibrio cholerae", journal= "Microbiology", year = "1996", volume = "142", number = "8", pages = "2165-2174", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/13500872-142-8-2165", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/13500872-142-8-2165", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2080", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "ToxR regulon", keywords = "colonization", keywords = "mobile genetic element", keywords = "integrase", keywords = "Vibrio cholerae", abstract = "A large cluster of virulence genes encoding proteins involved in Vibrio cholerae accessory colonization factor (ACF) expression and toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) biogenesis is flanked by sequences that resemble bacteriophage attachment (att) half-sites. Adjacent to the atfL-like site is a gene (int) that encodes a protein related to the integrase family of site-specific recombinases. The putative vibrio integrase appears to be most closely related to the Escherichia coli cryptic prophage (CP4-57) integrase protein (52% identity, 73% similarity). Genomic analysis of numerous V. cholerae strains (01, non-01 and 0139) revealed that only vibrios capable of causing epidemic Asiatic cholera possess the TCP-ACF colonization gene cluster in association with the integrase. The fact that the integrase gene is absent in avirulent strains suggests that epidemic strains of V. cholerae obtained the TCP-ACF colonization gene cluster via horizontal transfer.", }