Characterization of an insertion sequence-like element, ISBlo15, identified in a size-increased cryptic plasmid pBK283 in Bifidobacterium longum BK28

The characteristics of mobile genetic elements in bifidobacteria are not well understood. We characterized an insertion sequence-like element of the IS200/IS605 family found in a size-increased cryptic plasmid in Bifidobacterium longum. During a plasmid profile analysis of B. longum BK strains, we encountered a 6.5-kbp cryptic plasmid pBK283 in B. longum BK28, the size of which has not been identified in bifidobacteria. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that an insertion sequence-like element was inserted into the 5.0-kbp pKJ50-like plasmid and resulted in a size increase of pBK283. The element, named ISBlo15, was 1593 bp in length and contained a single ORF encoding a putative transposase, which is similar to the transposase OrfB encoded by IS200/IS605 family elements. Several sequence characteristics, including conserved transposase motifs in OrfB and terminal palindromic sequences that differ from the typical terminal inverted repeats, strongly suggested that ISBlo15 is a member of the IS200/IS605 family. Sequences similar to ISBlo15 were widely distributed among the nine Bifidobacterium species tested, and those of highly homologous sequences were detected only in Bifidobacterium gallicum JCM8224(T).