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 HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bringel, F Articles by Scott, J R Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bringel, F Articles by Scott, J R

research-article

Transfer of Tn916 between Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains is nontranspositional: evidence for a chromosomal fertility function in strain MG1363.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University Health Sciences Center, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.

ABSTRACT

Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis MG1363 can act as a conjugative donor of chromosomal markers. This requires a chromosomally located fertility function that we designate the lactococcal fertility factor (Laff). Using inter- and intrastrain crosses, we identified other L. lactis strains (LMO230 and MMS373) that appear to lack Laff. The selectable marker in our crosses was Tcr, carried by Tn916, a transposon present on the chromosome. The transfer of Tcr was not due to Tn916-encoded conjugative functions, because (i) L. lactis cannot act as a donor in Tn916-promoted conjugation (F. Bringel, G. L. Van Alstine, and J. R. Scott, Mol. Microbiol. 5:2983-2993, 1992) and (ii) transfer occurred when the Tcr marker was present in a Tn916 derivative containing a mutation, tra-641, that prevents Tn916-directed conjugation in any host. In addition, we isolated a strain in which Tn916 appears to be linked to Laff; this strain should be useful for further analysis of this fertility factor. In this strain, Tn916 is on the same 600-kb SmaI fragment as Clu, a fertility factor previously shown to promote lactose plasmid transfer in L. lactis. Thus, it is possible that Clu and Laff are identical.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Eichenbaum, Z., Federle, M. J., Marra, D., de Vos, W. M., Kuipers, O. P., Kleerebezem, M., Scott, J. R. (1998). Use of the Lactococcal nisA Promoter To Regulate Gene Expression in Gram-Positive Bacteria: Comparison of Induction Level and Promoter Strength. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 2763-2769 [Abstract] [Full Text]