Premium
FATE OF EXOGENOUS DNA IN NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS
Author(s) -
Gundersen Wenche Blix,
Jyssum Kaare
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica section b microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0365-5563
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1973.tb02206.x
Subject(s) - dna , neisseria meningitidis , heterologous , homologous chromosome , ethidium bromide , transformation (genetics) , biology , exogenous dna , microbiology and biotechnology , chromosome , genetics , gene , bacteria
Density gradient centrifugations of cell extracts from Neisseria meningitidis transformed by 15 N 3 H DNA in the presence of acriflavin or ethidium bromide show that in spite of a substantial reduction of viable transformants in the presence of these drugs, the radioactivity taken up assumes a specific density indistinguishable from that of the DNA of the recipient cells. Thus DNA uptake and integration are inseparable steps in N. meningitidis. The genetically incompetent ( cp ‐ ) variant of N. meningitidis is unable to integrate exogenous DNA into its chromosome. Furthermore it does not take up exogenous DNA to DNase insensitivity, neither homologous nor heterologous DNA. Exogenous DNA is only taken up by genetically competent ( cp +) N. meningitidis if of homologous origin, and when it is integrated into the recipient chromosome in a transformation event.