We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Heterospecific transcription of the Escherichia coli rpoB-3 allele in Gram-negative bacteria.
- Authors
Al-Doori, Zainab
- Abstract
rpoB is the structural gene for the β-subunit of E. coli RNA polymerase. The rpoB-3 allele confers resistance to the antibiotic rifampicin and is unusual in being dominant to the wild-type allele. We used the plasmid pZD23, a derivative of the broad host range conjugative plasmid RP4, to introduce the rpoB-3 allele into a range of bacterial species. Species belonging to the same family as E. coli (Enterobacter aerogenes, Citrobacter freundii, Hafnia alvei møller, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium) expressed rpoB-3 to give a rifampicin resistant phenotype; this demonstrated heterospecific transcription. The transfer of pZD23 to the non-Enterobacteriaceae species Azotobacter vinelandii and Rhizobium leguminosarum did not result in rifampicin resistance. In the former case this was due to non-expression of the rpoB-3 resistance phenotype, in the latter case the dominant resistance phenotype had been lost from pZD23. Heterospecific transcription can be used as a criterion for the investigation of genetic relatedness between bacterial species.
- Publication
Genetics Research, 1987, Vol 50, Issue 2, p87
- ISSN
0016-6723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S0016672300023478