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. 1974 Dec;120(3):1260–1267. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.3.1260-1267.1974

R-Factor Mutant Capable of Specifying Hypersynthesis of Penicillinase

Yoshihiro Odakura 1, Hajime Hashimoto 1, Susumu Mitsuhashi 1
PMCID: PMC245909  PMID: 4612012

Abstract

The physical characteristics of a mutant, RM201-2, capable of conferring high and stable ampicillion resistance was analyzed. The RM201-2 and its parent R-factor deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) could be isolated as an extrachromosomal and covalently closed circular form. Their buoyant densities were both 1.712 g/cm3, and their molecular weights were about 82 × 106 and 64 × 106, respectively, when measured by CsCl and sucrose density gradient analyses. The contour lengths by electron microscopy were 35.9 ± 0.6 and 31.0 ± 0.6 μm, respectively. By using the extracted R-factor DNA, the mutant and parent characters were transformable to another Escherichia coli strain. The mutant R factor showed an increased amount of DNA even after conjugal transfer to Proteus. An increase in the size of R-factor DNA was thus considered to be the cause of the high level of ampicillin resistance.

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Selected References

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

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