Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1985 Apr;162(1):1–4. doi: 10.1128/jb.162.1.1-4.1985

Transfer of genetic information within a colony of Haemophilus influenzae.

J H Stuy
PMCID: PMC218943  PMID: 3872298

Abstract

Different Haemophilus cultures were mixed and then spotted onto an agar plate. These mixed colonies were incubated at 37 degrees C and then scored for the presence of recombinants. It was found that conjugative plasmids transferred very efficiently and quickly under these conditions, but only between cells of the same species. Four small plasmids did not transfer at all, nor were they mobilized by the two conjugative plasmids studied. Chromosomal markers transferred very inefficiently. The evidence favored transfer by genetic transformation rather than by conjugation. When mixed cultures were inoculated into broth and then incubated, the transfer of conjugative plasmids was not observed. Transfer of chromosomal markers occurred only when the media used contained Eugonbroth in addition to brain heart infusion, and even then it was very inefficient. The addition of DNase completely eliminated such transfers. This and other evidence indicate that in cell suspensions, chromosomal marker transfer also occurs through transformation. A corrected map of several genetic markers is presented.

Full text

PDF
1

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. Albritton W. L., Setlow J. K., Slaney L. Transfer of Haemophilus influenzae chromosomal genes by cell-to-cell contact. J Bacteriol. 1982 Dec;152(3):1066–1070. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.3.1066-1070.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Albritton W. L., Setlow J. K., Thomas M., Sottnek F., Steigerwalt A. G. Heterospecific transformation in the genus Haemophilus. Mol Gen Genet. 1984;193(2):358–363. doi: 10.1007/BF00330693. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bagci H., Stuy J. H. A hex mutant of Haemophilus influenzae. Mol Gen Genet. 1979 Sep;175(2):175–179. doi: 10.1007/BF00425533. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Barnhart B. J., Cox S. H. Radiation-sensitive and radiation-resistant mutants of Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1968 Jul;96(1):280–282. doi: 10.1128/jb.96.1.280-282.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Deneer H. G., Slaney L., Maclean I. W., Albritton W. L. Mobilization of nonconjugative antibiotic resistance plasmids in Haemophilus ducreyi. J Bacteriol. 1982 Feb;149(2):726–732. doi: 10.1128/jb.149.2.726-732.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Guerry P., LeBlanc D. J., Falkow S. General method for the isolation of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1973 Nov;116(2):1064–1066. doi: 10.1128/jb.116.2.1064-1066.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hoffmann J. F., Stuy J. H. Prophage recombination in transformation -negative mutants of Haemophilus influenzae. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1972 Feb 16;46(3):1388–1393. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(72)80129-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. 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]
  10. Meyers J. A., Sanchez D., Elwell L. P., Falkow S. Simple agarose gel electrophoretic method for the identification and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1529–1537. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1529-1537.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. NICKEL L., GOODGAL S. H. EFFECT OF INTERSPECIFIC TRANSFORMATION ON LINKAGE RELATIONSHIPS OF MARKERS IN HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE AND HAEMOPHILUS PARAINFLUENZAE. J Bacteriol. 1964 Dec;88:1538–1544. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.6.1538-1544.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. STUY J. H. Transformability of Haemophilus influenzae. J Gen Microbiol. 1962 Nov;29:537–549. doi: 10.1099/00221287-29-3-537. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Setlow J. K., Brown D. C., Boling M. E., Mattingly A., Gordon M. P. Repair of deoxyribonucleic acid in Haemophilus influenzae. I. X-ray sensitivity of ultraviolet-sensitive mutants and their behavior as hosts to ultraviolet-irradiated bacteriophage and transforming deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1968 Feb;95(2):546–558. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.2.546-558.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shoemaker N. B., Smith M. D., Guild W. R. DNase-resistant transfer of chromosomal cat and tet insertions by filter mating in Pneumococcus. Plasmid. 1980 Jan;3(1):80–87. doi: 10.1016/s0147-619x(80)90036-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Stuy J. H. Chromosomally integrated conjugative plasmids are common in antibiotic-resistant Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jun;142(3):925–930. doi: 10.1128/jb.142.3.925-930.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stuy J. H. On the nature of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1978;44(3-4):367–376. doi: 10.1007/BF00394313. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. 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]
  18. Stuy J. H. Restriction enzymes do not play a significant role in Haemophilus homospecific or heterospecific transformation. J Bacteriol. 1976 Oct;128(1):212–220. doi: 10.1128/jb.128.1.212-220.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Stuy J. H. Tetracyclin-stimulated expression of ampicillin resistance in Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1980 Nov;144(2):823–825. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.2.823-825.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Stuy J. H., Walter R. B. Addition, deletion, and substitution of long nonhomologous deoxyribonucleic acid segments by genetic transformation of Haemophilus influenzae. J Bacteriol. 1981 Nov;148(2):565–571. doi: 10.1128/jb.148.2.565-571.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Stuy J. H., Walter R. B. Repair of ultraviolet-irradiated transforming DNA in a recA mutant of Haemophilus influenzae. Photochem Photobiol. 1983 Apr;37(4):391–394. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1983.tb04491.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Thorne G. M., Farrar W. E., Jr Transfer of ampicillin resistance between strains of Haemophilus influenzae type B. J Infect Dis. 1975 Sep;132(3):276–281. doi: 10.1093/infdis/132.3.276. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES