Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1991 May;173(9):3029–3033. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.9.3029-3033.1991

Comparative analysis of Enterococcus faecalis sex pheromone plasmids identifies a single homologous DNA region which codes for aggregation substance.

D Galli 1, R Wirth 1
PMCID: PMC207889  PMID: 1673459

Abstract

An analysis of the 11 known sex pheromone plasmids of Enterococcus faecalis was performed by DNA-DNA hybridization. Plasmids pAD1, pJH2, and pBEM10 turned out to be closely related, whereas pAM373 showed only weak homology with pAD1. A comparison of the hemolysin/bacteriocin determinants of pAD1, pJH2, and pOB1 revealed strong similarities at the DNA level. Our main finding was that one DNA region is conserved among all sex pheromone plasmids, with pAM373 again being an exception; for pAD1 this region was shown earlier to code for aggreagation substance. Detailed hybridization studies of the genes for this plasmid-coded adhesin, which is responsible for cell-cell contact during conjugative transfer via the so-called sex pheromone system of E. faecalis, support the idea of their common origin.

Full text

PDF
3029

Images in this article

3031Image
on p.3031
3032Image
on p.3032

Selected References

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

  1. Christie P. J., Korman R. Z., Zahler S. A., Adsit J. C., Dunny G. M. Two conjugation systems associated with Streptococcus faecalis plasmid pCF10: identification of a conjugative transposon that transfers between S. faecalis and Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol. 1987 Jun;169(6):2529–2536. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.6.2529-2536.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Clewell D. B., An F. Y., White B. A., Gawron-Burke C. Streptococcus faecalis sex pheromone (cAM373) also produced by Staphylococcus aureus and identification of a conjugative transposon (Tn918). J Bacteriol. 1985 Jun;162(3):1212–1220. doi: 10.1128/jb.162.3.1212-1220.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Clewell D. B., Tomich P. K., Gawron-Burke M. C., Franke A. E., Yagi Y., An F. Y. Mapping of Streptococcus faecalis plasmids pAD1 and pAD2 and studies relating to transposition of Tn917. J Bacteriol. 1982 Dec;152(3):1220–1230. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.3.1220-1230.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clewell D. B., Weaver K. E. Sex pheromones and plasmid transfer in Enterococcus faecalis. Plasmid. 1989 May;21(3):175–184. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(89)90041-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Colmar I., Horaud T. Enterococcus faecalis hemolysin-bacteriocin plasmids belong to the same incompatibility group. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1987 Mar;53(3):567–570. doi: 10.1128/aem.53.3.567-570.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dunny G. M., Craig R. A., Carron R. L., Clewell D. B. Plasmid transfer in Streptococcus faecalis: production of multiple sex pheromones by recipients. Plasmid. 1979 Jul;2(3):454–465. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(79)90029-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dunny G. M. Genetic functions and cell-cell interactions in the pheromone-inducible plasmid transfer system of Enterococcus faecalis. Mol Microbiol. 1990 May;4(5):689–696. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00639.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dunny G., Yuhasz M., Ehrenfeld E. Genetic and physiological analysis of conjugation in Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1982 Aug;151(2):855–859. doi: 10.1128/jb.151.2.855-859.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ehrenfeld E. E., Kessler R. E., Clewell D. B. Identification of pheromone-induced surface proteins in Streptococcus faecalis and evidence of a role for lipoteichoic acid in formation of mating aggregates. J Bacteriol. 1986 Oct;168(1):6–12. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.1.6-12.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. 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]
  11. Galli D., Lottspeich F., Wirth R. Sequence analysis of Enterococcus faecalis aggregation substance encoded by the sex pheromone plasmid pAD1. Mol Microbiol. 1990 Jun;4(6):895–904. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00662.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Galli D., Wirth R., Wanner G. Identification of aggregation substances of Enterococcus faecalis cells after induction by sex pheromones. An immunological and ultrastructural investigation. Arch Microbiol. 1989;151(6):486–490. doi: 10.1007/BF00454863. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ike Y., Clewell D. B., Segarra R. A., Gilmore M. S. Genetic analysis of the pAD1 hemolysin/bacteriocin determinant in Enterococcus faecalis: Tn917 insertional mutagenesis and cloning. J Bacteriol. 1990 Jan;172(1):155–163. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.1.155-163.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kessler R. E., Yagi Y. Identification and partial characterization of a pheromone-induced adhesive surface antigen of Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1983 Aug;155(2):714–721. doi: 10.1128/jb.155.2.714-721.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LeBlanc D. J., Lee L. N., Clewell D. B., Behnke D. Broad geographical distribution of a cytotoxin gene mediating beta-hemolysis and bacteriocin activity among Streptococcus faecalis strains. Infect Immun. 1983 Jun;40(3):1015–1022. doi: 10.1128/iai.40.3.1015-1022.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Murray B. E., An F. Y., Clewell D. B. Plasmids and pheromone response of the beta-lactamase producer Streptococcus (Enterococcus) faecalis HH22. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1988 Apr;32(4):547–551. doi: 10.1128/aac.32.4.547. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nakayama J., Nagasawa H., Isogai A., Clewell D. B., Suzuki A. Amino acid sequence of pheromone-inducible surface protein in Enterococcus faecalis, that is encoded on the conjugative plasmid pPD1. FEBS Lett. 1990 Jul 2;267(1):81–84. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(90)80293-r. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. 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]
  19. Wanner G., Formanek H., Galli D., Wirth R. Localization of aggregation substances of Enterococcus faecalis after induction by sex pheromones. An ultrastructural comparison using immuno labelling, transmission and high resolution scanning electron microscopic techniques. Arch Microbiol. 1989;151(6):491–497. doi: 10.1007/BF00454864. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Yagi Y., Kessler R. E., Shaw J. H., Lopatin D. E., An F., Clewell D. B. Plasmid content of Streptococcus faecalis strain 39-5 and identification of a pheromone (cPD1)-induced surface antigen. J Gen Microbiol. 1983 Apr;129(4):1207–1215. doi: 10.1099/00221287-129-4-1207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES