FERTILITY FACTORS AND GENETIC LINKAGE IN PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA

Abstract

Strains of P. aeruginosa possessing the pseudomonad fertility factor FP vary in their ability to transmit it to strains not having it (FP-). Unlike the F factor in E. coli, FP is little affected by acridines or metal salts. Attempts to convert FP+ strains into a strain with a high frequency of recombination (Hfr) have been unsuccessful. This may be due to instability of the Hfr form in P. aeruginosa. The FP agent influences segregation and in an FP- x FP+ cross, transfer of genetic material is unidirectional from the FP+ parent to the FP- parent. The segregation of FP in FP- x FP+ crosses depends upon the relative infectivity of the FP+ parent. FP+ x FP- crosses between parents marked with auxotrophic, drug resistance and phage resistance markers have shown linkage and the seven loci studied have been placed in one linkage group.