Analysis of the conjugal transfer system of the pheromone-independent highly transferable Enterococcus plasmid pMG1: identification of a tra gene (traA) up-regulated during conjugation.

ABSTRACT: pMG1 (65.1 kbp) is a pheromone-independent Enterococcus faecium conjugative plasmid conferring gentamicin resistance. pMG1 is able to transfer to enterococci at a high frequency in broth mating experiments, and it does not respond to the sex pheromones which are involved in the high-frequency transfer system of some conjugative plasmids in Enterococcus faecalis. To analyze regulation of tra gene expression in pMG1, transcripts of pMG1 were examined during conjugation. RNA samples were prepared from mating mixtures 20, 40, 80, and 160 min after initiation of mating and were subsequently analyzed by Northern hybridization by using a variety of pMG1 DNA fragments as probes. One transcript of gene 71ORF2 increased to the maximal level 20 min after the start of mating. The level of this transcr

SUBMITTER: Tanimoto K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC139602 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature