Evidence for a sex factor in Streptomyces erythreus

A lethal zygosis-sensitive mutant of Streptomyces erythreus, ER720, was isolated. Pocks were formed when spores of the parental type were plated on a lawn of ER720, suggesting the loss of a transmissible plasmid, SEP1, from this strain. Recombination did not occur between derivatives of ER720 lacking SEP1, but it did occur if SEP1 was transferred to one of these strains or if these strains were crossed with other strains containing SEP1. SEP1 could also be transferred at high frequency between strains. This is consistent with SEP1 acting as a sex factor in S. erythreus.