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Plasmid transfer from Streptomyces to Mycobacterium smegmatis by spontaneous transformation
Author(s) -
Bhatt Apoorva,
Melton Rachel E.,
Kieser Tobias
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2002.02722.x
Subject(s) - mycobacterium smegmatis , streptomyces coelicolor , plasmid , biology , transformation (genetics) , plasmid preparation , streptomycetaceae , streptomyces , microbiology and biotechnology , dna , genetics , bacteria , actinomycetales , gene , pbr322 , mycobacterium tuberculosis , medicine , tuberculosis , pathology
Summary Hybrids of the Streptomyces coelicolor conjugative plasmid SCP2* and the Mycobacterium plasmid pAL5000 were transferred from Streptomyces coelicolor or Streptomyces lividans to Mycobacterium smegmatis mc 2 155 in plate crosses. Inactivation of the SCP2* transfer function did not prevent or reduce plasmid transfer. This transfer was DNase I sensitive and thus involved release of DNA from Streptomyces , followed by transformation of M. smegmatis . M. smegmatis growing on specific solid media was also transformed by pure CCC and linear plasmid DNA. Small plasmids were taken up intact but large plasmids suffered deletions. Competence developed within 24 h of incubation at 30°C or 37°C, and up to 400 transformants were obtained per μ g of CCC plasmid DNA. Transformation frequencies were higher when M. smegmatis was co‐cultivated with plasmid‐free Streptomyces , but unaffected by resident homologous sequences or inactivation of recA in M. smegmatis . Spontaneous transformation was also observed with a circular Streptomyces transposable element which inserted into chromosomal sites. Transformative plasmid transfer was also shown to occur between M. smegmatis strains. This is the first report of non‐artificially induced, spontaneous plasmid transformation in Mycobacterium .