Open AccessCloning of the nptII gene of Escherichia coli and construction of a recombinant strain harboring functional recA and nptII antibiotic resistance
Author(s) -
Samah Ghanem
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
genetics and molecular research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 48
ISSN - 1676-5680
DOI - 10.4238/vol10-3gmr1334
Subject(s) - kanamycin , neomycin , biology , tetracycline , escherichia coli , plasmid , amp resistance , microbiology and biotechnology , paromomycin , subcloning , gene , recombinant dna , genetics , aminoglycoside , antibiotics
In an attempt to clone the ORF of the nptII gene of Escherichia coli K12 (ATCC 10798), two degenerate primers were designed based on the nptII sequence of its Tn5 transposon. The nptII ORF was placed under the control of the E. coli hybrid trc promoter, in the pKK388-1 vector, transformed into E. coli DH5α ΔrecA (recombinant, deficient strain). Transferred cells were tested for ampicillin, tetracycline, kanamycin, neomycin, geneticin, paromomycin, penicillin, and UV resistance. The neomycin phosphotransferase gene of E. coli was cloned successfully and conferred kanamycin, neomycin, geneticin, and paromomycin resistance to recombinant DH5α; this did not inhibit insertion of additional antibiotic resistance against ampicillin and tetracycline, meaning the trc promoter can express two different genes carried by two different plasmids harbored in the same cell. This resistance conferral process could be considered as an emulation of horizontal gene transfer occurring in nature and would be a useful tool for understanding mechanisms of evolution of multidrug-resistant strains.