Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1986 Nov;168(2):683–687. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.2.683-687.1986

Plasmid establishment in competent Haemophilus influenzae occurs by illegitimate transformation.

M L Pifer
PMCID: PMC213535  PMID: 3491064

Abstract

Establishment of plasmids in naturally competent Haemophilus influenzae is incompatible with transformation via the normal DNA translocation pathways. Instead, establishing plasmids appear to evade the degradation which ordinarily accompanies translocation, arriving as intact double-stranded molecules in the cytoplasm. Evidence is presented that plasmid establishment is a rare illegitimate transformation event which resembles artificial transformation. This process is compared with plasmid marker rescue transformation, and a method for greatly increasing establishment frequency is described.

Full text

PDF
687

Selected References

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

  1. Balganesh M., Setlow J. K. Differential behavior of plasmids containing chromosomal DNA insertions of various sizes during transformation and conjugation in Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1985 Jan;161(1):141–146. doi: 10.1128/jb.161.1.141-146.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barany F., Kahn M. E., Smith H. O. Directional transport and integration of donor DNA in Haemophilus influenzae transformation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Dec;80(23):7274–7278. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.23.7274. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barouki R., Smith H. O. Reexamination of phenotypic defects in rec-1 and rec-2 mutants of Haemophilus influenzae Rd. J Bacteriol. 1985 Aug;163(2):629–634. doi: 10.1128/jb.163.2.629-634.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bergmans H. E., van Die I. M., Hoekstra W. P. Transformation in Escherichia coli: stages in the process. J Bacteriol. 1981 May;146(2):564–570. doi: 10.1128/jb.146.2.564-570.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Birnboim H. C., Doly J. A rapid alkaline extraction procedure for screening recombinant plasmid DNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 1979 Nov 24;7(6):1513–1523. doi: 10.1093/nar/7.6.1513. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Boling M. E., Setlow J. K., Allison D. P. Bacteriophage of Haemophilus influenzae. I. Differences between infection by whole phage, extracted phage DNA and prophage DNA extracted from lysogenic cells. J Mol Biol. 1972 Feb 14;63(3):335–348. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90431-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Canosi U., Morelli G., Trautner T. A. The relationship between molecular structure and transformation efficiency of some S. aureus plasmids isolated from B. subtilis. Mol Gen Genet. 1978 Nov 9;166(3):259–267. doi: 10.1007/BF00267617. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Contente S., Dubnau D. Characterization of plasmid transformation in Bacillus subtilis: kinetic properties and the effect of DNA conformation. Mol Gen Genet. 1979 Jan 2;167(3):251–258. doi: 10.1007/BF00267416. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Danner D. B., Deich R. A., Sisco K. L., Smith H. O. An eleven-base-pair sequence determines the specificity of DNA uptake in Haemophilus transformation. Gene. 1980 Nov;11(3-4):311–318. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(80)90071-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Danner D. B., Pifer M. L. Plasmid cloning vectors resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline which can replicate in both E. coli and Haemophilus cells. Gene. 1982 Apr;18(1):101–105. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(82)90062-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Flock J. I. Transfection with replicating DNA from the temperate Bacillus bacteriophage phi 105 and with T4-ligase treated phi105 DNA: the importance in transfection of being longer than genome-length. Mol Gen Genet. 1978 Jul 6;163(1):7–15. doi: 10.1007/BF00268958. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gromkova R., Goodgal S. Uptake of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid by Haemophilus. J Bacteriol. 1981 Apr;146(1):79–84. doi: 10.1128/jb.146.1.79-84.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Herriott R. M., Meyer E. M., Vogt M. Defined nongrowth media for stage II development of competence in Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1970 Feb;101(2):517–524. doi: 10.1128/jb.101.2.517-524.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hirt B. Selective extraction of polyoma DNA from infected mouse cell cultures. J Mol Biol. 1967 Jun 14;26(2):365–369. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(67)90307-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Jorgensen R. A., Reznikoff W. S. Organization of structural and regulatory genes that mediate tetracycline resistance in transposon Tn10. J Bacteriol. 1979 Jun;138(3):705–714. doi: 10.1128/jb.138.3.705-714.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kahn M. E., Barany F., Smith H. O. Transformasomes: specialized membranous structures that protect DNA during Haemophilus transformation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Nov;80(22):6927–6931. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.22.6927. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kooistra J., Setlow J. K. Similarity in properties and mapping of three Rec mutants of Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1976 Jul;127(1):327–333. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.1.327-333.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Notani N. K., Setlow J. K., McCarthy D., Clayton N. L. Transformation of Haemophilus influenzae by plasmid RSF0885. J Bacteriol. 1981 Dec;148(3):812–816. doi: 10.1128/jb.148.3.812-816.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Notani N., Goodgal S. H. On the nature of recombinants formed during transformation in Hemophilus influenzae. J Gen Physiol. 1966 Jul;49(6):197–209. doi: 10.1085/jgp.49.6.197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Pifer M. L., Smith H. O. Processing of donor DNA during Haemophilus influenzae transformation: analysis using a model plasmid system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Jun;82(11):3731–3735. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.11.3731. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Radloff R., Bauer W., Vinograd J. A dye-buoyant-density method for the detection and isolation of closed circular duplex DNA: the closed circular DNA in HeLa cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 May;57(5):1514–1521. doi: 10.1073/pnas.57.5.1514. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Smith H. O., Danner D. B., Deich R. A. Genetic transformation. Annu Rev Biochem. 1981;50:41–68. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.50.070181.000353. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stuy J. H. Fate of transforming DNA in the Haemophilus influenzae transformation system. J Mol Biol. 1965 Sep;13(2):554–570. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(65)80117-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Stuy J. H. Mechanism of Haemophilus influenzae transfection by single and double prophage deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1980 Dec;144(3):1003–1008. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.3.1003-1008.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Stuy J. H. Mechanism of additive genetic transformation in Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1980 Dec;144(3):999–1002. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.3.999-1002.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Stuy J. H. Plasmid transfer in Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1979 Aug;139(2):520–529. doi: 10.1128/jb.139.2.520-529.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES