Insertion sequence (IS) elements are transposable regions of DNA present in a majority of bacterial genomes. It is hypothesized that differences in distributions of IS elements across bacterial strains and species reflect underlying differences in population biology. Therefore, shifts in IS element distributions between closely related strains may be proxies for and reflective of changes in population dynamics. Here, we investigate the presence and distribution of a subclass of IS 5 elements throughout genomes of Pseudomonas syringae by querying complete genomes for the presence of InsH (the main transposase found within these IS 5 elements). We report that this one subclass of IS 5 elements appears to have recently undergone independent expansions in multiple P. syringae clades and find that a majority of IS 5 insertion sites are not conserved across three closely related P. syringae pv. lachrymans genomes. We present further evidence, as has been shown for other members of the IS 5 family in different taxa, that elements from this IS 5 subclass can drive the expression of downstream genes in P. syringae . Taken together, our results highlight how dynamic IS 5 elements can be within and across P. syringae genomes and point towards the potential for IS 5 elements to rewire expression patterns across the P. syringae genome.
Baltrus et al. (Fri,) studied this question.