Fate of plasmids containing Mu DNA: Chromosome association and mobilization

✍ Scribed by Bialy, H. ;Waggoner, B. T. ;Pato, M. L.

• Book ID: 104770544
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1980
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 625 KB
• Volume: 180
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0026-8925
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00425851

✦ Synopsis

The fluorescent dye, diamidinophenylindole-dihydrochloride (DAPI) can be added to CsC1 gradients to enhance the density resolution of DNA species, independent of their topological configurations. When Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli strains carrying an RP4: : Muc ts plasmid were examined with the use of such a technique, it was found that after thermal induction of the prophage essentially all of the plasmid DNA became associated with the chromosome. This quantitative association is detergent-RNase-and pronase-resistant and dependent on the expression of Mu genes. The association is temporally, and probably functionally, correlated with the onset ofMu DNA replication. Genetic studies With F' :: mini Mu plasmids indicate that some of the association results in stable Hfr formation, and does not require the product of Mu gene B.