Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1992 Sep;174(18):5840–5847. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.18.5840-5847.1992

Transfer of Tn916 between Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains is nontranspositional: evidence for a chromosomal fertility function in strain MG1363.

F Bringel 1, G L Van Alstine 1, J R Scott 1
PMCID: PMC207115  PMID: 1325966

Abstract

Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis MG1363 can act as a conjugative donor of chromosomal markers. This requires a chromosomally located fertility function that we designate the lactococcal fertility factor (Laff). Using inter- and intrastrain crosses, we identified other L. lactis strains (LMO230 and MMS373) that appear to lack Laff. The selectable marker in our crosses was Tcr, carried by Tn916, a transposon present on the chromosome. The transfer of Tcr was not due to Tn916-encoded conjugative functions, because (i) L. lactis cannot act as a donor in Tn916-promoted conjugation (F. Bringel, G. L. Van Alstine, and J. R. Scott, Mol. Microbiol. 5:2983-2993, 1992) and (ii) transfer occurred when the Tcr marker was present in a Tn916 derivative containing a mutation, tra-641, that prevents Tn916-directed conjugation in any host. In addition, we isolated a strain in which Tn916 appears to be linked to Laff; this strain should be useful for further analysis of this fertility factor. In this strain, Tn916 is on the same 600-kb SmaI fragment as Clu, a fertility factor previously shown to promote lactose plasmid transfer in L. lactis. Thus, it is possible that Clu and Laff are identical.

Full text

PDF
5840

Images in this article

5842Image
on p.5842

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson D. G., McKay L. L. Genetic and physical characterization of recombinant plasmids associated with cell aggregation and high-frequency conjugal transfer in Streptococcus lactis ML3. J Bacteriol. 1984 Jun;158(3):954–962. doi: 10.1128/jb.158.3.954-962.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson D. G., McKay L. L. Isolation of a recombination-deficient mutant of Streptococcus lactis ML3. J Bacteriol. 1983 Aug;155(2):930–932. doi: 10.1128/jb.155.2.930-932.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bringel F., Van Alstine G. L., Scott J. R. A host factor absent from Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis MG1363 is required for conjugative transposition. Mol Microbiol. 1991 Dec;5(12):2983–2993. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb01858.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Burdett V., Inamine J., Rajagopalan S. Heterogeneity of tetracycline resistance determinants in Streptococcus. J Bacteriol. 1982 Mar;149(3):995–1004. doi: 10.1128/jb.149.3.995-1004.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clewell D. B., Brown B. L. Sex pheromone cAD1 in Streptococcus faecalis: induction of a function related to plasmid transfer. J Bacteriol. 1980 Aug;143(2):1063–1065. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.2.1063-1065.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Clewell D. B. Movable genetic elements and antibiotic resistance in enterococci. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1990 Feb;9(2):90–102. doi: 10.1007/BF01963632. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Clewell D. B. Plasmids, drug resistance, and gene transfer in the genus Streptococcus. Microbiol Rev. 1981 Sep;45(3):409–436. doi: 10.1128/mr.45.3.409-436.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dunny G. M., Zimmerman D. L., Tortorello M. L. Induction of surface exclusion (entry exclusion) by Streptococcus faecalis sex pheromones: use of monoclonal antibodies to identify an inducible surface antigen involved in the exclusion process. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Dec;82(24):8582–8586. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.24.8582. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Efstathiou J. D., McKay L. L. Inorganic salts resistance associated with a lactose-fermenting plasmid in Streptococcus lactis. J Bacteriol. 1977 Apr;130(1):257–265. doi: 10.1128/jb.130.1.257-265.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fischetti V. A., Jones K. F., Scott J. R. Size variation of the M protein in group A streptococci. J Exp Med. 1985 Jun 1;161(6):1384–1401. doi: 10.1084/jem.161.6.1384. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fitzgerald G. F., Clewell D. B. A conjugative transposon (Tn919) in Streptococcus sanguis. Infect Immun. 1985 Feb;47(2):415–420. doi: 10.1128/iai.47.2.415-420.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fitzgerald G. F., Gasson M. J. In vivo gene transfer systems and transposons. Biochimie. 1988 Apr;70(4):489–502. doi: 10.1016/0300-9084(88)90085-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Franke A. E., Clewell D. B. Evidence for a chromosome-borne resistance transposon (Tn916) in Streptococcus faecalis that is capable of "conjugal" transfer in the absence of a conjugative plasmid. J Bacteriol. 1981 Jan;145(1):494–502. doi: 10.1128/jb.145.1.494-502.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gasson M. J. In vivo genetic systems in lactic acid bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 1990 Sep;7(1-2):43–60. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1990.tb04878.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Gasson M. J. Plasmid complements of Streptococcus lactis NCDO 712 and other lactic streptococci after protoplast-induced curing. J Bacteriol. 1983 Apr;154(1):1–9. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.1.1-9.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Gawron-Burke C., Clewell D. B. A transposon in Streptococcus faecalis with fertility properties. Nature. 1982 Nov 18;300(5889):281–284. doi: 10.1038/300281a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Gawron-Burke C., Clewell D. B. Regeneration of insertionally inactivated streptococcal DNA fragments after excision of transposon Tn916 in Escherichia coli: strategy for targeting and cloning of genes from gram-positive bacteria. J Bacteriol. 1984 Jul;159(1):214–221. doi: 10.1128/jb.159.1.214-221.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hayes F., Law J., Daly C., Fitzgerald G. F. Integration and excision of plasmid DNA in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis. Plasmid. 1990 Sep;24(2):81–89. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(90)90010-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hopwood D. A., Lydiate D. J., Malpartida F., Wright H. M. Conjugative sex plasmids of Streptomyces. Basic Life Sci. 1985;30:615–634. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4613-2447-8_43. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Ippen-Ihler K. A., Minkley E. G., Jr The conjugation system of F, the fertility factor of Escherichia coli. Annu Rev Genet. 1986;20:593–624. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.20.120186.003113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Jorgensen R. A., Rothstein S. J., Reznikoff W. S. A restriction enzyme cleavage map of Tn5 and location of a region encoding neomycin resistance. Mol Gen Genet. 1979;177(1):65–72. doi: 10.1007/BF00267254. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Norgren M., Caparon M. G., Scott J. R. A method for allelic replacement that uses the conjugative transposon Tn916: deletion of the emm6.1 allele in Streptococcus pyogenes JRS4. Infect Immun. 1989 Dec;57(12):3846–3850. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.12.3846-3850.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Norgren M., Scott J. R. The presence of conjugative transposon Tn916 in the recipient strain does not impede transfer of a second copy of the element. J Bacteriol. 1991 Jan;173(1):319–324. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.1.319-324.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Rubens C. E., Heggen L. M. Tn916 delta E: a Tn916 transposon derivative expressing erythromycin resistance. Plasmid. 1988 Sep;20(2):137–142. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(88)90016-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. SAITO H., MIURA K. I. PREPARATION OF TRANSFORMING DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID BY PHENOL TREATMENT. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1963 Aug 20;72:619–629. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Scott J. R. A turbid plaque-forming mutant of phage P1 that cannot lysogenize Escherichia coli. Virology. 1974 Dec;62(2):344–349. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(74)90397-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Scott J. R., Kirchman P. A., Caparon M. G. An intermediate in transposition of the conjugative transposon Tn916. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Jul;85(13):4809–4813. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.13.4809. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Senghas E., Jones J. M., Yamamoto M., Gawron-Burke C., Clewell D. B. Genetic organization of the bacterial conjugative transposon Tn916. J Bacteriol. 1988 Jan;170(1):245–249. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.1.245-249.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Smith G. R. Homologous recombination in procaryotes. Microbiol Rev. 1988 Mar;52(1):1–28. doi: 10.1128/mr.52.1.1-28.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Steele J. L., McKay L. L. Conjugal transfer of genetic material by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis 11007. Plasmid. 1989 Jul;22(1):32–43. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(89)90033-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Stephens D. S., Swartley J. S., Kathariou S., Morse S. A. Insertion of Tn916 in Neisseria meningitidis resulting in loss of group B capsular polysaccharide. Infect Immun. 1991 Nov;59(11):4097–4102. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.11.4097-4102.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Tanskanen E. I., Tulloch D. L., Hillier A. J., Davidson B. E. Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis of SmaI Digests of Lactococcal Genomic DNA, a Novel Method of Strain Identification. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Oct;56(10):3105–3111. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.10.3105-3111.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Terzaghi B. E., Sandine W. E. Improved medium for lactic streptococci and their bacteriophages. Appl Microbiol. 1975 Jun;29(6):807–813. doi: 10.1128/am.29.6.807-813.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Trieu-Cuot P., Carlier C., Poyart-Salmeron C., Courvalin P. An integrative vector exploiting the transposition properties of Tn1545 for insertional mutagenesis and cloning of genes from gram-positive bacteria. Gene. 1991 Sep 30;106(1):21–27. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(91)90561-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Willetts N., Skurray R. The conjugation system of F-like plasmids. Annu Rev Genet. 1980;14:41–76. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.14.120180.000353. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Wilson G. A., Bott K. F. Nutritional factors influencing the development of competence in the Bacillus subtilis transformation system. J Bacteriol. 1968 Apr;95(4):1439–1449. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.4.1439-1449.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. van der Lelie D., Chavarri F., Venema G., Gasson M. J. Identification of a new genetic determinant for cell aggregation associated with lactose plasmid transfer in Lactococcus lactis. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Jan;57(1):201–206. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.1.201-206.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES