This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cohen, S. Articles by Basu, S. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cohen, S. Articles by Basu, S. K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1977 January; 129(1): 237-245
Copyright © 1977 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Mutations in Prophage 11 That Impair the Transducibility of Their Staphylococcus aureus Lysogens for Methicillin Resistance

^* Departments of Microbiology and Medicine, Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center Chicago, Illinois 60616
¹ Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60616

ABSTRACT

Methicillin resistance (mec) is not transduced into Staphylococcus aureus 8325-4, but is transduced into this host after it has been lysogenized with phage 11 and has acquired the penicillinase plasmid pI524 by a separate transduction (Cohen and Sweeney, 1970, 1973). Strain 8325-4 is competent for transformation of typical plasmid or chromosomal markers and for mec only if it is lysogenic for 11 or a related prophage (Sjöström et al., 1974, 1975). A mutant strain of 11 that was temperature sensitive (Ts) for vegetative multiplication did not mediate competence for transformation of its 8325-4 lysogen if the lysogen had been grown at a nonpermissive temperature (Sjöström and Philipson, 1974). We isolated four Ts mutants of 11 that did not mediate transducibility of their 8325-4(pI524) lysogens for mec after growth at nonpermissive temperatures (40 to 42°C). Transduction of typical plasmid or chromosomal markers was not affected. These 11-Ts mutants mediated normal competence of their lysogens for transformation of a tetracycline resistance plasmid. Similarly, 11-Ts mutants that rendered their lysogens temperature sensitive for transformation did not depress the frequency of transduction of mec. These two types of 11-Ts mutants fell into two different genetic complementation groups that differed in the physiology of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and in the time of expression of the mutations during a single-burst growth cycle at a nonpermissive temperature. A virulent mutant of 11, which plaqued with 100% efficiency on 8325(11), also failed to condition strain 8325-4 for transducibility of mec but retained the ability to confer competence for transformation of a tetracycline resistance plasmid. Different genetic loci and physiological functions are involved in 11 mutations that affect transducibility of mec and those that affect competence for transformation of markers generally in S. aureus 8325-4.