Graham J B, Istock C A
Mol Gen Genet. 1978 Nov 9;166(3):287-90. doi: 10.1007/BF00267620.
Genetically labelled strains of Bacillus subtilis have been shown to exchange blocks of linked genes while growing together in soil. After eight days of incubation, 79% of unselected colony-forming units exhibited a phenotype containing markers from both parents; the parental strains were not detected after the first day of incubation. High frequencies of transformation were also obtained by adding genetically labelled deoxyribonucleic acid to single-strain soil cultures. Observed linkage of genetic markers was greater in soil transformation than in standard laboratory procedures. The results indicate that transformation may play an important role in the adaptation of the Bacilli to their natural habitat.
经基因标记的枯草芽孢杆菌菌株在土壤中共同生长时，已被证明会交换连锁基因片段。培养八天后，79%未经过选择的菌落形成单位表现出含有来自双亲标记的表型；在培养第一天后未检测到亲本菌株。通过向单菌株土壤培养物中添加经基因标记的脱氧核糖核酸，也获得了高频率的转化。在土壤转化中观察到的遗传标记连锁比在标准实验室程序中更大。结果表明，转化可能在芽孢杆菌适应其自然栖息地方面发挥重要作用。
