Composite Integron Array Generated by Insertion of an ORF341-Type Integron Within a Tn 21 -like Element

Two class 1 integrons, In-t1 and In-t2, were previously identified in IncFI plasmids of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. Molecular analysis revealed a close physical link between the two integrons. In-t1 is preceded by the transposase genes of Tn21, whereas In-t2 is located downstream the 3′-conserved segment (3′-CS) of In-t1, in a head-to-tail configuration. In-t1 shows a peculiar sequence downstream the 3′-CS, containing an extended version of the open reading frame known as ORF341 (referred to as ORF341E) and a novel trimethoprim resistance gene, designated dfrA18. Retrospective analysis provided evidence for In-t1 insertion within Tn1935, a Tn21-related transposon identified in IncFI plasmids circulating among epidemic clones of multidrug-resistant S. enterica during the 1970s. Structural comparison between Tn21 derivatives from recent and ancestor IncFI plasmids showed that In-t2 has been conserved by these replicons. In-t1 belongs to a novel family of class 1 integrons containing the ORF341E sequence, and appears to have been acquired by IncFI plasmids after the assembly of Tn1935. In-t1 insertion occurred within the 5′-conserved segment (5′-CS) proximal region of the resident In-t2.