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Journal of Bacteriology, September 1999, p. 5414-5418, Vol. 181, No. 17
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

The Frequency of Conjugative Transposition of Tn916 Is Not Determined by the Frequency of Excision

Diana Marra,dagger Beth Pethel, Gordon G. Churchward, and June R. Scott*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322

Received 27 April 1999/Accepted 28 June 1999

Excision and formation of a covalently closed circular transposon molecule are required for conjugative transposition of Tn916 but are not the only factors that limit the frequency of conjugative transposition from one host to another. We found that in gram-positive bacteria, an increase in the frequency of excision and circularization of Tn916 caused by expression of integrase (Int) and excisionase (Xis) from a xylose-inducible promoter does not lead to an increase in the frequency of conjugative transposition. We also found that the concentration of Int and Xis in the recipient cell does not limit the frequency of conjugative transposition and that increased excision does not result in increased expression of transfer functions required to mobilize a plasmid containing the Tn916 origin of transfer. We conclude that in gram-positive hosts in which the Tn916 functions Int and Xis are overexpressed, the frequency of conjugative transposition is limited by the availability of transfer functions.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322. Phone: (404) 727-0402. Fax: (404) 727-8999. E-mail: scott{at}microbio.emory.edu.

dagger Present address: Department of Microbiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262.

Journal of Bacteriology, September 1999, p. 5414-5418, Vol. 181, No. 17
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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