FIG 7.

Msmeg0070 confers self-identity. (A) Mating pairs used in the analysis and their transfer proficiency. Pairs boxed inside a shaded rectangle were transfer proficient (DCT +). Unboxed mating pairs produced no or very few transconjugants (<1 × 10⁻⁹ donors). In all crosses, viable donor and recipient counts were similar. (B) Image of transconjugant-selective plates at a 10⁻¹ dilution for the donor-recipient pairs indicated. Crosses between mc²155 and Jucho are nonproductive (bottom left plate), but disruption of Msmeg0070 in mc²155 results in high transfer frequencies, which can be suppressed by the ectopic expression of Msmeg0070. Note the hyperconjugative phenotype of the Msmeg0070 mutant with MKD8 (top, compare the left and middle plates), which is also partly suppressed by expressing Msmeg0070 (right plate).