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Competence-Inducing Factor of Bacillus stearothermophilus¹

^a Department of Biological Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60201

ABSTRACT

An incompetent mutant (4S Com^–) does not release competence-inducing factor (CF) into the culture medium and is not infected with TP-1C phage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) unless CF is added to the transfection assay. A TP-1C phage-resistant mutant (4S Ton-r) releases relatively large amounts of CF into the culture medium but is not infected with TP-1C phage DNA, even in the presence of CF. The production of CF by the wild type or Ton-r mutant and the ability of the wild type or Com^– mutant to react with CF does not occur after these cultures have grown at 67 C for 1 hr or longer. A preliminary characterization of the CF is described. The autolytic enzyme or the temperate phage of the wild type and the Ton-r and Com^– mutants do not have competence-inducing activity.

² Present address: Department of Microbiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y. 14620.

¹ Part of the dissertation of Uldis N. Streips, presented to Northwestern University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Ph.D. degree. A preliminary report of this work was presented at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Miami Beach, Fla., 4-9 May 1969.