Open AccessElimination of R plasmids from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus
Author(s) -
Magnin JeanPierre,
Willison John C.,
Vignais Paulette M.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1987.tb02188.x
Subject(s) - rhodobacter , plasmid , biology , agarose , bacteria , agarose gel electrophoresis , rhodopseudomonas , rhodospirillaceae , dna , gel electrophoresis , rhodospirillales , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , genetics , gene , mutant
Rhodobacter capsulatus (formerly Rhodopseudomonas capsulata ) could be cured of R plasmids of the P1 incompatibility group, including derivatives used as cloning vectors, by repeated subculturing in a growth medium containing only yeast extract and peptone (YP medium). Loss of R plasmid material from the cells was complete, as shown by agarose gel electrophoresis, and by the absence of hybridization between total DNA and radioactively labelled R plasmid DNA. Prolonged subculturing in YP medium often resulted in the accumulation of auxotrophs, and led to the appearance of strains containing chromosomal insertions of plasmid DNA.