Phylogeny and organization of recombinase in trio (RIT) elements

•We assembled a collection of RIT elements from 63 genera across 7 phyla of eubacteria.•The organization and distribution of these elements in available genomes was determined.•RIT elements are composed of three integrases each from separate sub-families of tyrosine recombinases.•RIT elements have an ancient distribution but also show evidence of intragenomic transfer.•RIT elements may be mobilized between related genera via plasmids. Recombinase in trio (RIT) elements are composed of three adjacent tyrosine based site-specific recombinases that commonly occur in bacterial genomes. In this study, we examine RIT elements found in the genomes of strains from 63 different genera across 7 phyla of Eubacteria and examine the specific organization of these elements, their phylogenetic and environmental distribution, and their potential for mobility. We have found that each recombinase in this RIT arrangement is associated with a distinct sub-family of the tyrosine recombinases, and that the order and orientation of these sub-families is consistently maintained. We have determined that the distribution of these elements suggests that they are an ancient feature of bacterial genomes, but identical copies found within individual strains indicates that they are capable of intragenomic mobility. The occurrence of identical elements on both the main chromosome and one or more plasmids within individual strains, coupled with the finding that in some cases related genera are carrying highly similar RIT elements indicates that horizontal transfer has in some cases proceeded through a plasmid intermediate.