Transduction in Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

Thorne, Curtis B. (Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md.). Transduction in Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 83:106-111. 1962.-A bacteriophage, SP-10, isolated from soil carries out general transduction in Bacillus subtilis. Phage propagated on a streptomycin-resistant mutant of the wild-type strain W-23 was capable of transducing to prototrophy strain 168 (indole(-)), as well as all of the auxotrophic mutants of W-23-S(r) tested, which included mutants requiring arginine, histidine, adenine, guanine, thiamine, leucine, or methionine. Although strain 168 was transduced by phage SP-10, lytic activity on this strain could not be detected and attempts to propagate the phage on it failed. Transductions occurred at frequencies in the range of 10(-6) to 10(-5) per plaque-forming unit. Homologous phage was ineffective, deoxyribonuclease had no effect on the frequency of transduction, and transduction was prevented by the addition of phage antiserum. Phage SP-10 was capable of lysogenizing strain W-23-S(r), and this condition was maintained through repeated growth and sporulation cycles in potato-extract medium. Although heating at 65 C for 60 min inactivated free phage particles, spores retained their lysogenic condition after such heat treatment. When heat-treated spores of the lysogenic cultures were used as inocula for growth in a nutrient broth-yeast extract-glucose medium, filtrates contained 10(9), or more, phage particles per ml.