Genetic and physicochemical characterization of Escherichia coli strains carrying fused F' elements derived from KLF1 and F57

Transient suppression of F-plasmid incompatibility in a strain of Escherichia coli

The incompatibility between F plasmids is transiently suppressed in Escherichia coli strain CSH54. As a result this strain is able to maintain two F' factors or an F' factor and a mini-F plasmid for considerably longer periods than normal strains. When selective pressure for two markers carried by two separate F's (or an F' and mini-F) is imposed on normal strains, the two plasmids tend to form a cointegrate structure which can be detected genetically by the joint transfer of both the markers upon mating. This does not happen in CSH54; instead, the two plasmids are maintained and transferred independently. Physical evidence for the maintenance of an F' and a mini-F plasmid is provided by agarose gel electrophoresis.

Regulation of the F conjugation genes studied by hybridization and tra-lacZ fusion

Hybridization experiments and tra-lacZ fusions were used to obtain further insight into the complex series of control systems that affect F conjugation. We confirmed that the regular IncF FinOP control system represses transcription of traJ, and found that the traJ product is required for transcription of traM as well as of the traY-Z operon. The chromosomal sfrA gene product may be required to prevent premature termination of traJ transcription, while the sfrB gene product prevents premature termination at two sites within the traY-Z operon. The FinQ inhibition system determined by several IncI plasmids caused termination at three different sites in the operon, and that of JR66a at one further site. JR66a and R485 strongly inhibit F transfer, but have weak, or no (respectively) effects on transcription: they may inhibit function of one or more transfer gene products.

Plasmid cointegrates of Flac and lambda prophage

Fifteen cointegrates of the plasmid Flac and prophage lambda that had suffered no detectable change in plasmid phenotype were isolated and characterized. The locations of the prophage insertions were determined by genetic analysis of deletion mutants obtained from each cointegrate as survivors of growth at 42 degrees C. In 11 cointegrates, the prophage was inserted between traI and lac, although probably in more than one location; in 3 others, it was on one side or the other of lac; and in 1 it was between lac and pif. Deletions covering all or part of the transfer region, as well as of lac and of pif, were obtained in the course of this analysis. Deletion mutants that had lost all known transfer genes were also oriT, but they retained the capacity to recircularize after transfer. Attempts were made to isolate lambda transducing phages for nearby plasmid genes from the cointegrates, and lambdaptraGD, lambdaptraD, lambdaptraI, and lambdadtraDI phages were obtained.

Role of dnaB43 in F'-plasmid incompatibility

In order to perform complementation tests with mutations of DNA replication of F'-plasmids incompatibility must overcome. We report out in ability to duplicate the results presented by Palchoudhury and Iyer (1971) and Bezanson and Iyer (1975) who have claimed to demonstrate the autonomous replication two incompatible F'-plasmids in a strain carrying the temperature sensitive dna B43 allele. In addition, we describe experiments designed to measured complementation using transient heterozygotes and compatible plasmids. Assessment of our data and those of others in the light of a recent report by Uhlin and Nordström (1975) suggests that new approaches will have to be developed for the successful employment of complementation analysis in F-plasmid genetics.

Method for the isolation of Escherichia coli K-12 mutants deficient in essential genes

We developed a general procedure for the induction and identification of mutations in chromosomal essential genes that are located in a diploid region of Escherichia coli K-12. The partial diploidy is conferred by an episome that is temperature sensitive for replication so that a mutant strain will form microcolonies at 42 C on complete media if an essential chromosomal gene in the diploid region is defective. Mutations identified by this procedure can be classified into cistrons by a complementation method devised for the purpose. To verify that the procedure works in practice, we fused an episome covering the rif region with an Ftslac+ and used the resulting temperature-sensitive episome to identify chromosomal mutations in essential functions near rif. As expected, a certain proportion of the mutations were in the rif gene, an essential gene that codes for the beta subunit of ribonucleic acid polymerase.

Plasmid co-integrates of prophage lambda and R factor R100

Single and tandem insertions of prophage lambda into R100 have been isolated. Insertions into the transfer genes, insertions into the transfer control gene finO, and insertions into regions that result in no detectable phenotypic change were found. From the last type, deletion mutants were isolated which established the sequence of antibiotic resistance genes as tet-cml-fus-str-sul-mer in R100. High frequency transducing phage preparations lambdamer, lambdasul str, and lambdasul str cml were also isolated from this type.

Essential genes in the metB-malB region of Escherichia coli K-12

We isolated 25 independent mutants that are deficient in essential genes located in the metB-malB region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. The mutations were mapped within this region by using several F' factors and were also classified into 11 cistrons by complementation testing. There is clustering of mutations in essential genes within the metB-malB region.

cis-Dominant, transfer-deficient mutants of the Escherichia coli K-12 F sex factor

Rare conjugational progeny formed by crossing each of five Hfr strains with a recA-F- strain have been characterized. Selection was made for a proximal Hfr marker, taking strict precautions to prevent transfer of recA+ to the zygotes. Most of the progeny were found to be F' strains containing deletion mutant plasmids. With two exceptions, these mutant plasmids have lost all of the tra genes, which are required to confer conjugational donor ability upon a host. In addition, all but the exceptional mutant plasmids were found to be very poorly transmissible from transient heterozygotes which also contain a wild-type F' plasmid. The poor transmissibility is a cis-dominant transfer-defective phenotype which may result from deletion of all or part of the origin of transfer replication (ori), or of a gene determining a cis-acting protein. The two exceptional mutant plasmids may carry short deletions of some of the tra genes or polar tra mutations. The remaining progeny were nonmutant F' strains and F- strains. The frequency with which the F- strains were recovered permits us to estimate that the maximum amount of recombination possible in a recA56 zygote is 10(-6) that of a recA+ zygote.

Molecular cloning of DNA from F sex factor of Escherichia coli K-12

We describe the molecular cloning of various DNA segments generated by partial EcoRI endonuclease digestion of the sex factor F. These segments have been analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis of EcoRI digests and were arranged in a series of overlapping fragments using the EcoRI fragment map of F established by H. Ohtsubo and E. Ohtsubo. The clones isolated demonstrate one or more of the following F-specified functions: inhibition of female-specific phage (T7) multiplication, formation of F pili, surface exclusion, or immunity to lethal zygosis. These properties are discussed in terms of the EcoRI fragments of F that specify them.

Translocation of the tetracycline resistance determinant from R100-1 to the Escherichia coli K-12 chromosome

Pairs of normally incompatible derivatives of R100-1 (one ChlS TetR, the other ChilR TetS) were forced to coexist in a recA host by selection for ChlR TetR cells. After many generations stable derivatives were isolated. The analysis of none independent stabilization experiments showed that in each case TetR was translocated from the plasmid to the chromosome of the host. No evidence for the joint integration of other plasmid genes (those controlling transfer, antibiotic resistance, incompatibility, or origin of transfer replication) was obtained. One of the chromosomal TetR determinants was mapped close to metE.

Isolation of a hybrid F' factor-carrying Escherichia coli lactose region and Salmonella typhimurium histidine region, F42-400 (F' ts114 lac+, his+): its partial characterization and behavior in Salmonella typhimurium

Episome F' ts114 lac+ (F42-114) was transferred into Salmonella typhimurium carrying an F'his+ (FS400) episome, and fused episome F' ts114 lac+, his+ (F42-400) was obtained. Episome F42-400 could be transferred to S. typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Identification of the episome was based on: (i) temperature sensitivity of the Lac+ and His+ phenotypes; (ii) the fact that F- segregants, obtained after temperature curing or acridine orange curing, were simultaneously Lac- and His-; and (iii) linkage of lac+ with his+ in episomal transfers to E. coli and S. typhimurium. The frequency of episome transfer was influenced by the genotype of the donor. Plasmid LT2, prevalent in S. typhimurium LT2 strains, was suggested to be responsible for the low fertility of S. typhimurium donors. Episome F42-400 was capable of chromosome mobilization, and the extent of chromosome mobilization was not influenced by the presence or absence of the histidine region on the donor chromosome. Growth in a defined medium with acridine orange was able to cure F42-400. The frequency of curing was increased (the frequency of His+ cells was 0.0001%) if the cells were grown at 40 C in the presence of acridine orange. Selection for temperature-resistant Lac+, His+ derivatives in a strain without histidine deletion yielded Hfr strains. However, similar and stronger selections in strains without the chromosomal histidine region failed to yield Hfr strains. Our inability to obtain Hfr's in strains without the chromosomal histidine region was explained by assuming that the episome F42-400 has lost the F sites involved in integration into the S. typhimurium chromosome.

Evidence for a composite state of an F'his, gnd element and a cryptic plasmid in a derivative of Salmonella typhimurium LT2

A method designed to select mutants constitutive for expression of the histidine operon has been applied to a Salmonella typhimurium LT2 strain containing an F'his,gnd element and a cryptic plasmid. One of the mutants isolated, strain AA0019, has not only increased levels of histidinol phosphate phosphatase (hisB), but also increased levels of gluconate-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (gnd). Ultracentrifugation studies of extrachromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) isolated from strain AA0019 revealed the presence of a single species of covalently closed circular (CCC) DNA that sedimented more rapidly through neutral and alkaline sucrose gradients than any of its possible plasmid precursors. From neutral sucrose gradients, sedimentation coefficients of 130, 100, and 86S were derived, corresponding to the CCC DNA of the large plasmid in strain AA0019, the F'his,gnd element and the cryptic LT2 plasmid, respectively. An Escherichia coli plasmid-free strain that upon mating had received the large 130S plasmid also contained 86S and 100S CCC DNA components. A histidine-requiring derivative of strain AA0019 obtained after acridine orange treatment retained the cryptic plasmid DNA. Apparently, the large plasmid in strain AA0019 consists of the F'his,gnd element and the cryptic LT2 plasmid of the parental strain.

Characterization by electron microscopy of fused F-prime factors in Escherichia coli

During previous attempts to find mutants in which incompatibility between two F-prime (F') factors of E. coli is abolished, we found that two F' factors harbored in the same cell occasionally recombined to form a single genetic unit. Thus, a fused F'trp(+)arg(+) factor was obtained from a mating of a strain carrying recA F'trp(+) with a strain carrying recA F'arg(+). In the present paper physical fusion of the two F' factors, inferred from genetic studies, is confirmed by electron microscopy. F DNA was extracted, after detergent lysis, from four fused F' strains: the parental F'trp(+) and F'arg(+) strains and three F(+) strains. This supercoiled DNA was separated on ethidium bromide-cesium chloride gradients and converted to the open circular from before electron microscopy. The contour lengths in mum of the various DNA preparations were: F'trp(+), 59.4; F'arg(+), 33.2; the four F'trp(+)arg(+) factors, 38.5, 39.6, 63.2, and 73.5: the three F factors, 31.1, 31.1, and 31.0. Thus, different fused F' factors formed from the same parental F' factors vary in length, but are shorter than the sum of the parental F' factors.