Tyrosine site-specific recombinases mediate DNA inversions affecting the expression of outer surface proteins of Bacteroides fragilis.

The chromosome of Bacteroides fragilis has been shown to undergo 13 distinct DNA inversions affecting the expression of capsular polysaccharides and mediated by a serine site-specific recombinase designated Mpi. In this study, we demonstrate that members of the tyrosine site-specific recombinase family, conserved in B. fragilis, mediate additional DNA inversions of the B. fragilis genome. These DNA invertases flip promoter regions in their immediate downstream region. The genetic organization of the genes regulated by these invertible promoter regions suggests that they are operons and many of the products are predicted to be outer membrane proteins. Phenotypic analysis of a deletion mutant of one of these DNA invertases, tsr15 (aapI), which resulted in the promoter region for the downstream genes being locked ON, confirmed the synthesis of multiple surface proteins by this operon. In addition, this deletion mutant demonstrated an autoaggregative phenotype and showed significantly greater adherence than wild-type organisms in a biofilm assay, suggesting a possible functional role for these phase-variable outer surface proteins. This study demonstrates that DNA inversion is a universal mechanism used by this commensal microorganism to phase vary expression of its surface molecules and involves at least three conserved DNA invertases from two evolutionarily distinct families.