Kathariou S, Stephens D S, Spellman P, Morse S A
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Laboratory Program, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
Mol Microbiol. 1990 May;4(5):729-35. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00643.x.
The difficulty in obtaining mutants in pathogenic Neisseria has limited the ability to genetically define determinants responsible for virulence as well as the ability to generate a genetic map. We show that the 16.5kb conjugative transposon Tn916 can be introduced into Neisseria meningitidis on the suicide vectors pAM120 and pAM170. After introduction, Tn916 transposed to different sites in the chromosome of recipient meningococci, apparently at random, and was stably incorporated. Following its integration into the meningococcal chromosome, Tn916 did not appear to readily express its conjugative and transpositional functions. However, chromosomal DNA from Tn916-carrying meningococci could be used to transform other meningococcal strains to tetracycline resistance. These studies indicate that Tn916 may be an important tool for genetic analysis of N. meningitidis.
在致病性奈瑟氏菌中获得突变体存在困难，这限制了从基因角度确定毒力决定因素的能力以及构建遗传图谱的能力。我们发现，16.5kb的接合转座子Tn916可通过自杀载体pAM120和pAM170导入脑膜炎奈瑟氏菌。导入后，Tn916随机转座到受体脑膜炎球菌染色体的不同位点，并稳定整合。整合到脑膜炎球菌染色体后，Tn916似乎不易表达其接合和转座功能。然而，携带Tn916的脑膜炎球菌的染色体DNA可用于将其他脑膜炎球菌菌株转化为对四环素耐药。这些研究表明，Tn916可能是脑膜炎奈瑟氏菌遗传分析的重要工具。
