A BACTERIOCINOGENIC FACTOR OF ENTEROBACTER-CLOACAE

Enterobacter cloacae strain DF13 produces a bacteriocin which is able to kill other strains of Enterobacter and Klebsiella. This property can be transmitted to Enterobacter cloacae strain O 2 (up to 90% of the acceptor population became bacteriocinogenic), to E. coli K12F- and E. coli K 12 Hfr. Transfer of chromosome material was never observed, suggesting that the production of the bacteriocin is determined by a plasmid. However all attempts to eliminate this plasmid failed. The plasmid F′ trp cys Col B Col V could be transferred from E. coli into Ent. cloacae DF13 and subsequently it could be eliminated by acridine orange treatment. Ent. cloacae DF13 harbours in addition two independently transferable R-factors, one determining resistance against streptomycin and sulfanilamide and the other resistance against penicillin. Most but not all Ent. cloacae O2 recombinants which have received only the bacteriocinogenic factor upon conjugation with Ent. cloacae DF 13, can transfer this property to Ent. cloacae O2 but not to E. coli. E. coli F- recombinants, which have received only the bacteriocinogenic factor cannot transfer this property. The results suggest that the bacteriocinogenic factor cannot mediate its own transfer, but can be transferred when another transmissible plasmid is present. This may be the R(str sul) factor, the F-factor in E. coli Hfr or a transfer factor (Δ) in Ent. cloacae O2. Closed circular DNA molecules were selectively isolated from these strains and investigated by electron microscopy and velocity sedimentation. Ent. cloacae DF13 harbours small closed circular DNA molecules ranging from 0.5 to 3.2 μ in contour length, 98% of which corresponds to a size class of 0.7±0.1 μ. Ent. cloacae O2 also harbours closed circular DNA ranging from 0.8 to 3.0 μ in contour length, with major size classes of 0.9 μ and 1.4 μ respectively. Circular DNA of a contour length of 3.0±0.2 μ (S20,w=26 S) corresponding to a molecular weight of 6.0×106 daltons was transferred to E. coli and Ent. cloacae O 2 concomitantly with the ability to produce the bacteriocin. A significant difference was observed in the number of copies of the plasmid between Ent. cloacae and E. coli. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.