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J Bacteriol. 1964 February; 87(2): 341-351
Copyright © 1964 by the American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

EFFECT OF DRUG-RESISTANCE FACTOR R ON THE F PROPERTIES OF ESCHERICHIA COLI

Department of Biology, School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
International Escherichia Centre, Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen, Denmark

ABSTRACT

HIROTA, YUKINORI (Osaka University, Osaka, Japan), YUKINOBU NISHIMURA, FRITS ØRSKOV, AND IDA ØRSKOV. Effect of drug-resistance factor R on the F properties of Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 87:341–351. 1964.—Infection of Escherichia coli male cells (Hfr or F⁺) with resistance factor R results in the co-ordinate inhibition of several distinct functions of F factor: mating capacity to transfer chromosome by conjugation, production of f⁺ antigen, and formation of receptors for the male-specific bacteriophages, f1 and ribonucleic acid phage. The i^– mutant (R_100–1) of R factor, which was isolated from wild-type R factor (R₁₀₀), shows no inhibition of these F properties. Male R⁺_100–1 cells were autoagglutinable but the f⁺ antigen was still present. When R-infected female cells had acquired the ability to form recombinants with an F^– strain, they also had become autoagglutinable. The question of the presence of f⁺ antigen in these strains was not solved. The cause of the autoagglutinability is not known, but it is not the result of loss of O antigen (rough autoagglutinability). Sensitivity to a phage tau, which can form plaques on female cells only, is not affected by the presence or absence of R factor. No difference in the pattern of segregation of recombinants was observed between the cross of Hfr R^– x F^– and that of Hfr R⁺ x F^–. These results indicate that R factor controls a key mechanism in the synthesis of "F substances" formed on the cell surface by the F factor.