J. Bacteriol., 01 1998, 435-439, Vol 180, No. 2
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology

The transfer origin for Bacteroides mobilizable transposon Tn4555 is related to a plasmid family from gram-positive bacteria [In Process Citation]

CJ Smith and AC Parker
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA. jsmith@brody.med.ecu.edu

Conjugal transfer of Bacteroides mobilizable transposon Tn4555 was examined with an Escherichia coli-based assay system. It was shown that mobilization required the cis-acting oriT(Tn) region and that the Tn4555 mobA(Tn) gene and RK231 must be present in trans. With alkaline agarose gel electrophoresis and filter blot hybridizations, it was shown that at oriT(Tn) there was a site- and strand-specific cleavage event that was dependent on mobA(Tn). The 5' end of this cleavage site was mapped by primer extension, and the nucleotide sequence surrounding the site had homology to a family of oriT nick sites found in mobilizable plasmids of gram-positive bacteria. Removal of the nick site by deletion of 18 bp surrounding the site resulted in a significant loss of transfer activity.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Grohmann, E., Muth, G., Espinosa, M. (2003). Conjugative Plasmid Transfer in Gram-Positive Bacteria. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 67: 277-301 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bartosik, D., Baj, J., Sochacka, M., Piechucka, E., Wlodarczyk, M. (2002). Molecular characterization of functional modules of plasmid pWKS1 of Paracoccus pantotrophus DSM 11072. Microbiology 148: 2847-2856 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bass, K. A., Hecht, D. W. (2002). Isolation and Characterization of cLV25, a Bacteroides fragilis Chromosomal Transfer Factor Resembling Multiple Bacteroides sp. Mobilizable Transposons. J. Bacteriol. 184: 1895-1904 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vedantam, G., Hecht, D. W. (2002). Isolation and Characterization of BTF-37: Chromosomal DNA Captured from Bacteroides fragilis That Confers Self-Transferability and Expresses a Pilus-Like Structure in Bacteroides spp. and Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 184: 728-738 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Szpirer, C. Y., Faelen, M., Couturier, M. (2001). Mobilization Function of the pBHR1 Plasmid, a Derivative of the Broad-Host-Range Plasmid pBBR1. J. Bacteriol. 183: 2101-2110 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wang, J., Shoemaker, N. B., Wang, G.-R., Salyers, A. A. (2000). Characterization of a Bacteroides Mobilizable Transposon, NBU2, Which Carries a Functional Lincomycin Resistance Gene. J. Bacteriol. 182: 3559-3571 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Shoemaker, N. B., Wang, G.-R., Salyers, A. A. (2000). Multiple Gene Products and Sequences Required for Excision of the Mobilizable Integrated Bacteroides Element NBU1. J. Bacteriol. 182: 928-936 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Vedantam, G., Novicki, T. J., Hecht, D. W. (1999). Bacteroides fragilis Transfer Factor Tn5520: the Smallest Bacterial Mobilizable Transposon Containing Single Integrase and Mobilization Genes That Function in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 181: 2564-2571 [Abstract] [Full Text]