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1: Science. 2007 Jan 12;315(5809):251-2.
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An H-NS-like stealth protein aids horizontal DNA transmission in bacteria.

Doyle M, Fookes M, Ivens A, Mangan MW, Wain J, Dorman CJ.

Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. cjdorman@tcd.ie

The Sfh protein is encoded by self-transmissible plasmids involved in human typhoid and is closely related to the global regulator H-NS. We have found that Sfh provides a stealth function that allows the plasmids to be transmitted to new bacterial hosts with minimal effects on their fitness. Introducing the plasmid without the sfh gene imposes a mild H-NS(-) phenotype and a severe loss of fitness due to titration of the cellular pool of H-NS by the A+T-rich plasmid. This stealth strategy seems to be used widely to aid horizontal DNA transmission and has important implications for bacterial evolution.

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PMID: 17218529 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]