Biomaterial Database

Evidence that mutacin II production is not mediated by a 5.6-kb plasmid in Streptococcus mutans. 1990

P W Caufield, and G Shah, and S K Hollingshead, and M Parrot, and M C Lavoie

University of Alabama School of Dentistry, Birmingham 35294.

Here we present evidence that the cryptic 5.6-kb plasmid found in certain strains of Streptococcus mutans is not involved in mutacin production. This evidence comes from demonstrating similarities between a plasmid-less strain T8 and a group II plasmid strain UA96. Both produce what appears to be an identical mutacin based on spectrum of activity and physiological properties. Also, T8 and UA96 are members of the same immunity group (group II). Genotypically, both strains appear similar except for plasmid content based on DNA fingerprinting profiles. T8 and UA96 exhibit identical hybridization patterns following transformation of T8 with a mutacin-negative (bac-1::Tn916) sequence from a Tn916-insertionally inactivated mutant of UA96. This transformation also resulted in the mutacin-negative phenotype in T8 transformants, showing recombination between a mutacin-associated gene in UA96 and its apparent homologous sequence in T8. Moreover, when a plasmid containing a putative repeat element from UA96 (pPC264) was used as a probe, it hybridized to the same five EcoRI fragments in both T8 and UA96. Collectively, these data, coupled with data from other sources, indicate that the plasmid resident in mutacin II strains is not involved in mutacin production.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010957	Plasmids	Extrachromosomal, usually CIRCULAR DNA molecules that are self-replicating and transferable from one organism to another. They are found in a variety of bacterial, archaeal, fungal, algal, and plant species. They are used in GENETIC ENGINEERING as CLONING VECTORS.	Episomes,Episome,Plasmid
D012150	Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length	Variation occurring within a species in the presence or length of DNA fragment generated by a specific endonuclease at a specific site in the genome. Such variations are generated by mutations that create or abolish recognition sites for these enzymes or change the length of the fragment.	RFLP,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism,RFLPs,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms
D002876	Chromosomes, Bacterial	Structures within the nucleus of bacterial cells consisting of or containing DNA, which carry genetic information essential to the cell.	Bacterial Chromosome,Bacterial Chromosomes,Chromosome, Bacterial
D004269	DNA, Bacterial	Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes up the genetic material of bacteria.	Bacterial DNA
D005798	Genes, Bacterial	The functional hereditary units of BACTERIA.	Bacterial Gene,Bacterial Genes,Gene, Bacterial
D001430	Bacteriocins	Substances elaborated by specific strains of bacteria that are lethal against other strains of the same or related species. They are protein or lipopolysaccharide-protein complexes used in taxonomy studies of bacteria.	Bacteriocin,Lantibiotic,Lantibiotics
D012689	Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid	The sequential correspondence of nucleotides in one nucleic acid molecule with those of another nucleic acid molecule. Sequence homology is an indication of the genetic relatedness of different organisms and gene function.	Base Sequence Homology,Homologous Sequences, Nucleic Acid,Homologs, Nucleic Acid Sequence,Homology, Base Sequence,Homology, Nucleic Acid Sequence,Nucleic Acid Sequence Homologs,Nucleic Acid Sequence Homology,Sequence Homology, Base,Base Sequence Homologies,Homologies, Base Sequence,Sequence Homologies, Base
D013045	Species Specificity	The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species.	Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species
D013295	Streptococcus mutans	A polysaccharide-producing species of STREPTOCOCCUS isolated from human dental plaque.
D014170	Transformation, Genetic	Change brought about to an organisms genetic composition by unidirectional transfer (TRANSFECTION; TRANSDUCTION, GENETIC; CONJUGATION, GENETIC, etc.) and incorporation of foreign DNA into prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells by recombination of part or all of that DNA into the cell's genome.	Genetic Transformation,Genetic Transformations,Transformations, Genetic