Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1980 Sep;143(3):1318–1324. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.3.1318-1324.1980

High-frequency conjugal transfer of a gonococcal penicillinase plasmid.

G D Biswas, E Y Blackman, P F Sparling
PMCID: PMC294504  PMID: 6773927

Abstract

Gonococci containing a 24 X 10(6)-dalton conjugal plasmid were able to mobilize for transfer a smaller, non-self-transmissible penicillinase (Pcr) plasmid with high frequency under appropriate conditions. In some strains, over 10% of donor colony-forming units transferred the Pcr plasmid in a mating of less than 2 h, which suggests that the conjugal system was naturally derepressed. Colony-opacity variants containing different quantities of an approximately 28,000-dalton outer membrane protein were altered in their ability to act as conjugal donors and recipients. Maximal transfer of the Pcr plasmid was observed between transparent donors and recipients, lacking appreciable amounts of the 28,000-dalton protein. Under conditions of high-frequency Pcr plasmid mobilization, no conjugal mobilization of chromosomal markers could be discerned.

Full text

PDF
1323

Images in this article

1321Image
on p.1321

Selected References

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

  1. Baron E. S., Saz A. K., Kopecko D. J., Wohlhieter J. A. Transfer of plasmid-borne beta-lactamase in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Aug;12(2):270–280. doi: 10.1128/aac.12.2.270. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Catlin B. W. Nutritional profiles of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Neisseria lactamica in chemically defined media and the use of growth requirements for gonococcal typing. J Infect Dis. 1973 Aug;128(2):178–194. doi: 10.1093/infdis/128.2.178. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DAVIS B. D., MINGIOLI E. S. Mutants of Escherichia coli requiring methionine or vitamin B12. J Bacteriol. 1950 Jul;60(1):17–28. doi: 10.1128/jb.60.1.17-28.1950. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Eisenstein B. I., Sox T., Biswas G., Blackman E., Sparling P. F. Conjugal transfer of the gonococcal penicillinase plasmid. Science. 1977 Mar 11;195(4282):998–1000. doi: 10.1126/science.402693. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Guymon L. F., Walstad D. L., Sparling P. F. Cell envelope alterations in antibiotic-sensitive and-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1978 Oct;136(1):391–401. doi: 10.1128/jb.136.1.391-401.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kirven L. A., Thornsberry C. Transfer of beta-lactamase genes of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by conjugation. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Jun;11(6):1004–1006. doi: 10.1128/aac.11.6.1004. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lambden P. R., Heckels J. E., James L. T., Watt P. J. Variations in surface protein composition associated with virulence properties in opacity types of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Gen Microbiol. 1979 Oct;114(2):305–312. doi: 10.1099/00221287-114-2-305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Manning P. A., Reeves P. Outer membrane of Escherichia coli K-12: differentiation of proteins 3A and 3B on acrylamide gels and further characterization of con (tolG) mutants. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1070–1079. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1070-1079.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. McEwen J., Silverman P. Chromosomal mutations of Escherichia coli that alter expression of conjugative plasmid functions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Jan;77(1):513–517. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.1.513. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Norlander L., Davies J., Normark S. Genetic exchange mechanisms in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1979 Jun;138(3):756–761. doi: 10.1128/jb.138.3.756-761.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. O'Callaghan C. H., Morris A., Kirby S. M., Shingler A. H. Novel method for detection of beta-lactamases by using a chromogenic cephalosporin substrate. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Apr;1(4):283–288. doi: 10.1128/aac.1.4.283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Roberts M., Falkow S. Conjugal transfer of R plasmids in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Nature. 1977 Apr 14;266(5603):630–631. doi: 10.1038/266630a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Roberts M., Falkow S. Plasmid-mediated chromosomal gene transfer in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1978 Apr;134(1):66–70. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.1.66-70.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Sarubbi F. A., Jr, Blackman E., Sparling P. F. Genetic mapping of linked antibiotic resistance loci in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1974 Dec;120(3):1284–1292. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.3.1284-1292.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sox T. E., Mohammed W., Blackman E., Biswas G., Sparling P. F. Conjugative plasmids in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1978 Apr;134(1):278–286. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.1.278-286.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sparling P. F. Genetic transformation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to streptomycin resistance. J Bacteriol. 1966 Nov;92(5):1364–1371. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.5.1364-1371.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Swanson J. Studies on gonococcus infection. XII. Colony color and opacity varienats of gonococci. Infect Immun. 1978 Jan;19(1):320–331. doi: 10.1128/iai.19.1.320-331.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Swanson J. Studies on gonococcus infection. XIV. Cell wall protein differences among color/opacity colony variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infect Immun. 1978 Jul;21(1):292–302. doi: 10.1128/iai.21.1.292-302.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Walstad D. L., Guymon L. F., Sparling P. F. Altered outer membrane protein in different colonial types of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1977 Mar;129(3):1623–1627. doi: 10.1128/jb.129.3.1623-1627.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES