title: Interspecific transformation of Bacillus subtilis competent cells by chromosomal DNA in lysates of protoplasts of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.
abstract: Competent cells of Bacillus subtilis were transformed with chromosomal DNA in lysates of protoplasts of B. subtilis or B. amyloliquefaciens. The interspecific transformation frequency of B. subtilis by cysA in a conserved region was 3.1 x 10(4) transformants per microg DNA, 60 times higher than that for conventional transformation using purified DNA. Increased interspecific transformation frequencies of B. subtilis were also observed for arg-1, lys-1, leuB, aroG, thr-5, hisH, or metC markers outside the conserved region (3.1 x 10 approximately 5.2 x 10(2) transformants per microg DNA). An interspecific cotransformation ratio (33-50%) as high as an intraspecific one (46%) using purified DNA was also detected between cysA and rpsL markers, which are separated by 16 kb on the B. subtilis chromosome. Interspecific double transformation of the cysA-arg-1 or cysA-metC marker was observed, which have not been detected for conventional transformation. The involvement of mutS in the interspecific transformation was not significant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Microbial Technology, Kumamoto Institute of Technology, Ikeda, Japan. akamatsu@bio.kumamoto-it.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taguchi
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics*; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005819:Genetic Markers; D011523:Protoplasts / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005819:Genetic Markers