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ColB2-K77, a Fertility-Repressed F-Like Sex Factor

^a Division of Biology, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75230

ABSTRACT

The colicinogenic B factor, transferred from Escherichia coli strain K77 (and termed ColB2-K77 or ColB2) to an E. coli K12 F^– strain, is capable of promoting its own transfer to other K12 F^– strains at a low rate (from LFC cultures) which can be increased under special conditions (HFC cultures). LFC cultures of K12 (ColB2)⁺ F^– strains show a low level of adsorption of F-specific phage particles which also increases under HFC conditions. The ColB2 factor is thus inferred to be an F-like sex factor which is repressed in its fertility. This repression is concluded to be due to a cytoplasmic repressor since, when ColB2 is present in cells containing an F factor (either autonomous or integrated), F fertility is also repressed as shown by the inability of such (ColB2)⁺F⁺ [or (ColB2)⁺Hfr] strains to plaque F-specific phages, and by a reduction in the level of chromosomal transfer from such strains, compared to the corresponding F⁺ (or Hfr) control strains. Mutants of the ColB2 factor in which fertility is no longer repressed (fertility derepressed or Fdr mutants) have been isolated. The ColB2Fdr mutant strains do not appear to be able to mobilize chromosomal transfer, although they have acquired F-specific phage sensitivity demonstrable by plaque formation and they transfer their colicin factor at high frequency and are well piliated. The Fdr mutation is presumed to result in the inability to synthesize the cytoplasmic fertility repressor since the ColB2Fdr factor does not repress the fertility of an F factor when present in the same host strain. A fertility-repressed drug resistance factor of the R(f) type is not stable in the presence of a ColB2 factor in the same cell and is eliminated in about 10% of the cells per generation. In contrast, another factor characteristic of the R(i) type is fully compatible with ColB2. Under conditions artificially stabilizing (ColB2Fdr)⁺ (Rf)⁺ strains, the enhanced fertility of ColB2Fdr is not repressed by the presence of the R factor, nor does the presence of R(f) in the intermediate strain of an HFC (for ColB2) system inhibit the normal increase in ColB2 transmissibility. It is concluded that the repressors of R(f) and ColB2, although both active on F fertility, are different; this may indicate that at least two independently repressible cistrons are involved in the expression of fertility characteristics.

¹ Present address: Institut für Genetik der Universität Freiburg, 78 Freiburg i. Br., West Germany.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.