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 Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Krah, E R Articles by Macrina, F L Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Krah, E R, 3rd Articles by Macrina, F L

research-article

Genetic analysis of the conjugal transfer determinants encoded by the streptococcal broad-host-range plasmid pIP501.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0678.

ABSTRACT

pIP501 is a 30.2-kilobase (kb) broad-host-range conjugative streptococcal plasmid which encodes chloramphenicol and erythromycin resistance. A smaller conjugation-proficient derivative of pIP501 has been constructed and designated pVA1702. pVA1702 is 25.2 kb, encodes only kanamycin resistance, and confers conjugative ability in an Enterococcus faecalis mating system. The temperature-sensitive transposon delivery vectors pTV1ts and pTV32 carrying Tn917 and Tn917lac, respectively, were used to create insertion mutants of pVA1702 in E. faecalis. These insertions enabled us to localize the determinants conferring conjugation to two separate regions of pVA1702: the 7.5-kb region A and the 8.8-kb region B. A nested set of deletions of the 7.5-kb region was subcloned in Escherichia coli, and the expression of these deletions was examined in an E. coli minicell system. The genes for three conjugal proteins have been located and designated cnjA, cnjB, and cnjC (for conjugation). Two other peptides that are transcribed in a divergent direction from the cnj genes were encoded in the A region, but it is not known whether they are involved in conjugation. These studies indicate that the conjugation genes of pIP501 are arranged in multiple transcriptional units.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kurenbach, B., Grothe, D., Farias, M. E., Szewzyk, U., Grohmann, E. (2002). The tra Region of the Conjugative Plasmid pIP501 Is Organized in an Operon with the First Gene Encoding the Relaxase. J. Bacteriol. 184: 1801-1805 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ono, T., Shiota, S., Hirota, K., Nemoto, K., Tsuchiya, T., Miyake, Y. (2000). Susceptibilities of Oral and Nasal Isolates of Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus oralis to Macrolides and PCR Detection of Resistance Genes. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 44: 1078-1080 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ike, Y., Tanimoto, K., Tomita, H., Takeuchi, K., Fujimoto, S. (1998). Efficient Transfer of the Pheromone-Independent Enterococcus faecium Plasmid pMG1 (Gmr) (65.1 Kilobases) to Enterococcus Strains during Broth Mating. J. Bacteriol. 180: 4886-4892 [Abstract] [Full Text]