Gene Transfer to Myxobacterium by Escherichia coli Phage P1

Abstract

Myxococcus xanthus is a bacterium with an interest for studies of development because it has an organized multicellular phase in its life cycle. Bacteriophage Pl can adsorb to M. xanthus and inject its DNA into this organism despite the wide taxonomic gap separating myxococcus from Escherichia coli, the source of Pl. A specialized transducing derivative of Pl, called PlCM, can carry a gene for chloramphenicol resistance from E. coli into M. xanthus and generate unstable drug-resistant strains.