DNA from Serratia marcescens confers a hydrophobic character in Escherichia coli.

In order to determine whether hydrophobic surface properties of Serratia marcescens can be transferred to Escherichia coli, E. coli DH5 alpha cells were transformed by DNA fragments from S. marcescens RZ. Fifteen-hundred E. coli transformants were screened for adhesion to hexadecane and polystyrene. One transformant exhibited increased adhesion to hexadecane droplets, as well as altered kinetics of aggregation in the presence of ammonium sulfate. Western colony blotting revealed that antibodies raised against S. marcescens RZ recognized component(s) on the transformant outer surface.