Transduction in Bacillus cereus by each of two bacteriophages.
The ability of phage CP-51 to mediate transduction both homologously and heterologously in some of its hosts was investigated. CP-51 was shown to transduce Bacillus cereus strains 6464, 9139, and T in addition to 569 which was reported earlier from this laboratory. Furthermore, CP-51 grown on B. thuringiensis was shown to transduce some mutants of B. cereus. During this investigation, a second transducing phage for B. cereus 569 was isolated from lysates of phage CP-51 grown on B. cereus 6464. This phage, designated CP-53, is carried by wild-type strain 6464 possibly as prophage. All auxotrophic mutants of B. cereus 569 tested, those requiring tryptophan, histidine, methionine, and leucine, were transduced to prototrophy by CP-53. Electron micrographs of the two phages revealed that CP-51 has a tail core surrounded by a contractile sheath and CP-53 has a long flexible tail without a contractile sheath. CP-53 is stable in the cold, whereas CP-51 is rapidly inactivated at 4 C.
D000818:Animals; D001407:Bacillus; D001408:Bacillus anthracis; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000378:metabolism; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000528:radiation effects; D002498:Centrifugation; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003470:Culture Media; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006639:Histidine / Q000378:metabolism; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007106:Immune Sera; D007930:Leucine / Q000378:metabolism; D008715:Methionine / Q000378:metabolism; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009154:Mutation; D011817:Rabbits; D013170:Spores; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014764:Viral Proteins
D003470:Culture Media; D004279:DNA, Viral; D007106:Immune Sera; D014764:Viral Proteins; D006639:Histidine; D014364:Tryptophan; D008715:Methionine; D007930:Leucine