Chelocardin-inducible resistance in Escherichia coli bearing R plasmids

Two plasmid-linked tetracycline resistance characters, tet A and tet B, were distinguishable in part, according to the level of resistance they conferred to minocycline (<3 mug/ml for tet A; >6 mug/ml for tet B). Escherichia coli K-12 strains that harbored the tet B character were also resistant to tetracycline but susceptible to chelocardin. In such tet B strains, subinhibitory concentrations of tetracycline could induce resistance to chelocardin as well as to otherwise inhibitory concentrations of tetracyclines. Chelocardin itself was ineffective as an inducer and therefore could be used to select constitutively resistant mutants. E. coli K-12 strains harboring the tet A character were also resistant to tetracycline and susceptible to chelocardin; tetracycline did not induce resistance to chelocardin in these strains.