Transduction of Sporogenesis in Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

Takahashi , I. (McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). Transduction of sporogenesis in Bacillus subtilis . J. Bacteriol. 89: 294–298. 1965.—A number of asporogenous mutants of Bacillus subtilis were isolated and genetic analyses with these mutants were carried out by means of transduction mediated by bacteriophage PBS 1. The ability to form spores could be restored by transduction in all mutants examined, with the exception of Sp − H12-3, although they were not transformable under my experimental conditions. The results of reciprocal transduction suggest that genetic loci at which a mutation can affect sporulation are numerous. A spore marker ( sp 1 ) was transduced jointly with prototrophy and some antibiotic resistance markers (streptomycin, erythromycin, and neomycin). Other spore markers ( sp N2-2, sp 170-2 , and sp H12-4 ) were also linked to auxotrophic markers ( ser, tyr , and phe ) at a fairly high frequency. This linkage relationship indicates that genes controlling the formation of spores are located along the chromosome far apart from each other. The result also suggests that blocks in a variety of biochemical processes may result in the expression of the asporogenous phenotype.