ISfinder: the reference centre for bacterial insertion sequences

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Abstract

ISfinder () is a dedicated database for bacterial insertion sequences (ISs). It has superseded the Stanford reference center. One of its functions is to assign IS names and to provide a focal point for a coherent nomenclature. It is also the repository for ISs. Each new IS is indexed together with information such as its DNA sequence and open reading frames or potential coding sequences, the sequence of the ends of the element and target sites, its origin and distribution together with a bibliography where available. Another objective is to continuously monitor ISs to provide updated comprehensive groupings or families and to provide some insight into their phylogenies. The site also contains extensive background information on ISs and transposons in general. Online tools are gradually being added. At present an online Blast facility against the entire bank is available. But additional features will include alignment capability, PsiBLAST and HMM profiles. ISfinder also includes a section on bacterial genomes and is involved in annotating the IS content of these genomes. Finally, this database is currently recommended by several microbiology journals for registration of new IS elements before their publication.

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Most cited references 9

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Insertion sequences.

J. Mahillon, M. Chandler (1998)

Insertion sequences (ISs) constitute an important component of most bacterial genomes. Over 500 individual ISs have been described in the literature to date, and many more are being discovered in the ongoing prokaryotic and eukaryotic genome-sequencing projects. The last 10 years have also seen some striking advances in our understanding of the transposition process itself. Not least of these has been the development of various in vitro transposition systems for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic elements and, for several of these, a detailed understanding of the transposition process at the chemical level. This review presents a general overview of the organization and function of insertion sequences of eubacterial, archaebacterial, and eukaryotic origins with particular emphasis on bacterial elements and on different aspects of the transposition mechanism. It also attempts to provide a framework for classification of these elements by assigning them to various families or groups. A total of 443 members of the collection have been grouped in 17 families based on combinations of the following criteria: (i) similarities in genetic organization (arrangement of open reading frames); (ii) marked identities or similarities in the enzymes which mediate the transposition reactions, the recombinases/transposases (Tpases); (iii) similar features of their ends (terminal IRs); and (iv) fate of the nucleotide sequence of their target sites (generation of a direct target duplication of determined length). A brief description of the mechanism(s) involved in the mobility of individual ISs in each family and of the structure-function relationships of the individual Tpases is included where available.