title: Genetic organization of the bacterial conjugative transposon Tn916.
abstract: Tn916, which encodes resistance to tetracycline, is a 16.4-kilobase conjugative transposon originally identified on the chromosome of Streptococcus faecalis DS16. The transposon has been cloned in Escherichia coli on plasmid vectors, where it expresses tetracycline resistance; it can be reintroduced into S. faecalis via protoplast transformation. We have used a lambda::Tn5 bacteriophage delivery system to introduce Tn5 into numerous sites within Tn916. The Tn5 insertions had various effects on the behavior of Tn916. Some insertions eliminated conjugative transposition but not intracellular transposition, and others eliminated an excision step believed to be essential for both types of transposition. A few inserts had no effect on transposon behavior. Functions were mapped to specific regions on the transposon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0402.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Senghas
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gawron-Burke
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Clewell
mesh_terms: D010582:Bacteriophage lambda; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D010957:Plasmids; D013753:Tetracycline Resistance / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements