Systematic analysis of REBASE identifies numerous Type I restriction-modification systems that contain duplicated, variable hsdS specificity genes that randomly switch methyltransferase specificity by recombination.
J. M. Atack, C. Guo, T. Litfin, L. Yang, P. J. Blackall, Y. Zhou, M. P. Jennings
The paper identifies 5.9% of Type I R-M systems with duplicated hsdS genes that enable phase-variation through recombination, found in pathogens like Enterococcus faecalis and Listeria monocytogenes.
bioRxiv · Jun 18, 2020Microbiology