Introduction of the Streptococcus faecalis transposon Tn916 into Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis

The conjugative Streptococcus faecalis transposon Tn916 was introduced into Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis by filter matings with S. faecalis. B. thuringiensis transconjugants resistant to tetracycline (Tetr) were detected at a frequency of approximately 7.0 X 10(-7) per recipient cell during filter matings, whereas transfer of Tn916 was not observed in broth matings. The Tetr phenotype in subsp. israelensis was stable in the absence of antibiotic selection. Southern hybridization analysis revealed that Tn916 had inserted into several different sites on the B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis chromosome but insertion into plasmid DNA was not observed. Movement of Tn916 was demonstrated when Tetr B. thuringiensis transconjugants were mated with isogenic recipients. Southern hybridizations, however, showed that the resulting Tetr isolates contained Tn916 junction fragments that were nearly identical to the donor, suggesting that this movement resulted from transfer of chromosomal DNA from donor to recipient or from a fusion of mating cells, rather than conjugative transposition of the Tn element.