Thymineless bacteriophage induction in Staphylococcus aureus. I. High-frequency transduction with lysates containing a bacteriophage related to bacteriophage phi 11.
A thymine-requiring mutant of Staphylococcus aureus, strain 8325 (PI258)thy, undergoes prophage induction and lysis after thymine starvation. Four different phages were isolated from the lysate in low titers, among which was a phage designated phi 14, which differs from phage phi 11 in its immunity locus. The thymineless induced lysates of strain 8325(PI258)thy transduce the penicillinase plasmid at high frequency (10(-1), whereas transduction of chromosomal markers is inefficient. A plasmic-cured derivative of strain 8325(PI258)thy is also lysed by thymine starvation and be used for high-frequency transduction of other plasmids. Reconstitution of a strain of S. aureus that responds to thymine starvation was only partially successful, but this system can effectively be used to transduce plasmids or plasmid derivatives.
D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008242:Lysogeny; D008937:Mitomycins; D009154:Mutation; D010405:Penicillinase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010957:Plasmids; D013204:Staphylococcus Phages / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013941:Thymine / Q000378:metabolism*; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014779:Virus Replication
D008937:Mitomycins; D004917:Erythromycin; D010405:Penicillinase; D013941:Thymine