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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Conjugative Mating Assays for Sequence-specific Analysis of Transfer Proteins Involved in Bacterial Conjugation
Published on: January 4, 2017
Conjugative transfer of the Lactococcus lactis sex factor and pRS01 plasmid to Enterococcus faecalis
Kamila Belhocine1, Victoria Mandilaras, Bonnie Yeung
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Abstract:
The low G+C gram-positive bacterium Lactococcus lactis harbours two highly similar conjugative elements: an integrative and conjugative element called sex factor and the pRS01 plasmid. Originally, it was believed that the host range of the sex factor was limited to L. lactis subspecies. Here, it is reported that pTRK28 cointegrates of a spectinomycin-marked L. lactis sex factor and of the pRS01 conjugative plasmid can be transferred from L. lactis to Enterococcus faecalis. These results demonstrate the conjugative transfer of these elements to other bacterial species. Furthermore, it is reported that Ll.LtrB, a mobile group II intron carried by both elements, can invade its recognition site upon pRS01 conjugative transfer to E. faecalis.
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