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CONJUGAL GENE TRANSFER IN AQUATIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES DETECTED BY THE EVOLUTION OF A NEW PHENOTYPE
Citation:
Barkay, T., C. Liebert, AND M. Gillman. CONJUGAL GENE TRANSFER IN AQUATIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES DETECTED BY THE EVOLUTION OF A NEW PHENOTYPE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-93/072 (NTIS PB93169068), 1993.
Description:
An experienced approach based on the assembly of genes of a catabolic pathway was used to detect transconjugants in aquatic communities. esistance to phenylmercury acetate was established in transconjugants when wide host range conjugal plasmids containing merB, the gene encoding inorganic mercury. hese communities were enriched for populations containing merA, the gene encoding mercuric reductase (Barkay, T. 1987. Appl. Environ. Microbial 53:2725). onjugation was confirmed, using the plasmids encoded antibiotic resistance patterns and by hybridization with a eukaryotic gene. hree merB-conjugal plasmids, belonging to incompatibility groups W (pGTE16), P1 (pGTE25) were prepared. ransfer by filter matings of pGTE16 and pGTE26 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 to indigenous strains, were at efficiencies of 4.5x10-2 and 4.8x10-3 transconjugants/potential recipient (inorganic mercury resistant strains), respectively. hese efficiencies were from one or two orders of magnitude below those observed for intraspecies matings with single strains. he third plasmid, pGTE25, was not stably maintained in P. aeruginosa donors and its transfer from Escherichia coli donors was below the level of detection. haracterization transconjugant strains were shown to be Pseudomonas spp. hus, recipient bacteria with the ability to expand their mercury resistance patterns to organomercurials are abundance in aquatic communities. he utility of this experimental approach to studies in microbial ecology and to environmental management is discussed.
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CONJUGAL GENE TRANSFER IN AQUATIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES DETECTED BY THE EVOLUTION OF A NEW PHENOTYPE