Conservation and transfer of Escherichia coli genetic segments by partial diploid Hfr strains of Salmonella typhosa

Lytic replication of coliphage lambda in Salmonella typhosa hybrids

Hybrids between Escherichia coli K-12 and Salmonella typhosa which conserved a continuous K-12 chromosomal diploid segment extending from pro through ara to the strA locus were sensitive to plaque formation by wild-type lambda. These partially diploid S. typhosa hybrids could be lysogenized with lambda and subsequently induced to produce infectious phage particles. When the K-12 genes were segregated from a lysogenic S. typhosa hybrid, phage-productive ability was no longer detectable due to loss of a genetic region necessary for vegetative replication of lambda. However, lambda prophage was shown to persist in a quiescent state in the S. typhosa hybrid segregant with phage-productive ability being reactivated after replacement of the essential K-12 lambda replication region. Low-frequency transduction and high-frequency transduction lysates containing the gal(+) genes of S. typhosa were prepared by induction of lambda-lysogenic S. typhosa hybrids indicating that the attlambda site is chromosomally located in S. typhosa in close proximity to the gal locus as in E. coli K-12. After propagation in S. typhosa hybrids, lambda was subject to restriction by E. coli K-12 recipients, thus establishing that S. typhosa does not perform the K-12 modification of lambda deoxyribonucleic acid. Hybrids of S. typhosa, however, did not restrict lambda grown previously on E. coli K-12. The K-12 genetic region required for lambda phage production in S. typhosa was located within min 66 to min 72 on the genetic map of the E. coli chromosome. Transfer of an F-merogenote encompassing the 66 to 72 min E. coli chromosomal region to lambda-insensitive S. typhosa hybrids enabled them to replicate wild-type lambda. The lambda-insensitive S. typhosa hybrid, WR4255, which blocks lambda replication, can be mutagenized to yield mutant strains sensitive to lambdavir and lambdaimm434. These WR4255 mutants remained insensitive to plaque formation by wild-type lambda.

Isolation of circular deoxyribonucleic acid from Salmonella typhosa hybrids obtained from matings with Escherichia coli Hfr donors

Heterozygous, partial diploid Salmonella typhosa hybrids obtained from matings with Escherichia coli K-12 Hfr strains were observed to contain supercoiled, circular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) when examined by the dye-buoyant density method. Examination of one such S. typhosa hybrid after its loss, by segregation, of the inherited E. coli genetic markers revealed a concurrent loss of its supercoiled circular DNA. Subsequent remating of this segregant with various E. coli Hfr strains resulted in the reappearance of the circular DNA. Molecular weight determinations of circular DNA molecules isolated from a number of S. typhosa partial diploid hybrids were made by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and electron microscopy. These studies revealed a range of molecular sizes among the various hybrids examined, but each hybrid exhibited only a single characteristic size for its contained circular DNA. The range of size is consistent with the presence in each hybrid of a different length of E. coli chromosome. It was concluded that the E. coli Hfr genetic segments transferred to these S. typhosa hybrids were conserved, in the diploid state, in the form of supercoiled, circular DNA molecules.

Inefficiency of genetic recombination in hybrids between Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhosa

An Escherichia coli Hfr strain in which three negative chromosomal alleles (leu(-), arg(-), and mtl(-)) were closely linked to three positive alleles (ara(+), rha(+), and xyl(+), respectively) was employed in matings with a Salmonella typhosa recipient. The detected expression of the negative E. coli alleles in S. typhosa hybrids selected for receipt of an associated positive E. coli marker was used to determine the occurrence of haploid S. typhosa recombinants, as distinguished from stable partial diploid hybrids. At the same time, the inheritance patterns and segregation behavior of the positive alleles provided indicators of the occurrence of partial diploid hybrids. Examination of both positive and negative markers inherited by ara(+), rha(+), and xyl(-) selected S. typhosa hybrid classes indicated that relatively short E. coli chromosomal segments (generally about 4 min or less in length) were involved in recombination (haploidy), whereas rather extensive E. coli genetic segments were conserved in the diploid state. S. typhosa hybrids selected for receipt of the ara(+) marker showed a 52% incidence of leu(-) haploidy, which is probably close to being an accurate measure of recombination at the site of the ara(+) allele. S. typhosa hybrids selected for receipt of the rha(+) or xyl(+) markers showed only a 20% incidence of arg(-) or mtl(-) haploidy, respectively, but both of these hybrid classes exhibited a higher incidence of conservation of extensive E. coli diploid segments than did the ara(+) selected class. Remating of haploid S. typhosa hybrids with recombinant xyl(+)mtl(-) or rha(+)arg(-) regions resulted in higher frequencies of hybrid recovery than were observed in the initial matings. However, there was a higher incidence of partial diploidy and a lower incidence of haploidy among the hybrids obtained from these rematings.