Skip to main content
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1953 Jun 1;97(6):797–806. doi: 10.1084/jem.97.6.797

TRANSFORMATION OF TYPE SPECIFICITY OF MENINGOCOCCI

CHANGE IN HERITABLE TYPE INDUCED BY TYPE-SPECIFIC EXTRACTS CONTAINING DESOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID

Hattie E Alexander 1, Winifred Redman 1
PMCID: PMC2136310  PMID: 13069637

Abstract

Heritable type-specific traits have been induced in meningococcus populations by exposure to desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-containing extracts derived from meningococcus cells of the type desired. The DNA has been shown to be an essential component of the transforming extract. As in the H. influenzae system, the reaction between the susceptible cell and the DNA responsible for the heritable change requires less than 15 minutes. Only a minute proportion of the total cells exposed to the DNA extracts for a short time are susceptible to the change; but in the growth and reproduction of bacteria susceptible cells appear with fairly predictable frequency. Type I specific traits have been induced in populations of RIIa and SIIa cells. Type IIa specificity has been induced in RIIa cells.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (534.7 KB).

Selected References

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

  1. ALEXANDER H. E., LEIDY G. Determination of inherited traits of H. influenzae by desoxyribonucleic acid fractions isolated from type-specific cells. J Exp Med. 1951 Apr 1;93(4):345–359. doi: 10.1084/jem.93.4.345. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Alexander H. E., Heidelberger M. CHEMICAL STUDIES ON BACTERIAL AGGLUTINATION : V. AGGLUTININ AND PRECIPITIN CONTENT OF ANTISERA TO HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZA, TYPE B. J Exp Med. 1940 Jan 1;71(1):1–11. doi: 10.1084/jem.71.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Avery O. T., Macleod C. M., McCarty M. STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF THE SUBSTANCE INDUCING TRANSFORMATION OF PNEUMOCOCCAL TYPES : INDUCTION OF TRANSFORMATION BY A DESOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID FRACTION ISOLATED FROM PNEUMOCOCCUS TYPE III. J Exp Med. 1944 Feb 1;79(2):137–158. doi: 10.1084/jem.79.2.137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Menzel A. E., Rake G. STUDIES ON MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTION : XII. IMMUNOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON MENINGOCOCCUS TYPE II. J Exp Med. 1942 Apr 1;75(4):437–452. doi: 10.1084/jem.75.4.437. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Scherp H. W., Rake G. STUDIES ON MENINGOCOCCUS INFECTION : VIII. THE TYPE I SPECIFIC SUBSTANCE. J Exp Med. 1935 May 31;61(6):753–769. doi: 10.1084/jem.61.6.753. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES