[Use of a transposon determining tetracycline resistance (Tn10) in genetic studies of cholera vibrios].

Introduction of tetracycline-resistance transposon Tn10 into Rts1 (Km), a plasmid which is temperature-sensitive for DNA replication, made it possible to construct pNS10 (Km Tc) plasmid used as a vehicle for transferring Tn10 from Escherichia coli to cholera vibrio V. El Tor 218 as a result of intergeneric crosses. While being translocated from the plasmid genome to the chromosome of cholera vibrio transconjugants, Tn10 was able of insertion into structural genes thus leading to the formation of auxotrophic mutants. Ability of Tn10 to promote chromosomal rearrangements of the regions linked to Tn-element insertion site was used for identification of some structural genes in the neighbourhood of Tn-element insertion site.