Conjugal transfer of transposon Tn1545 into the cellulolytic bacterium Eubacterium cellulosolvens

Tn1545, a self-mobilizing transposon, was introduced into the chromosome of the ruminal cellulolytic bacterium Eubacterium cellulosolvens. This was achieved by conjugal transfer of the transposon from Clostridium beijerinckii at a frequency of 1 per 10(6) recipient cells. Transconjugants of Eu. cellulosolvens were resistant to both tetracycline and erythromycin, and were able to mobilize Tn1545 back into Cl. beijerinckii. Southern blot hybridization of representative transconjugants did not reveal site-specific insertion. This potential randomness of the transposon insertion site may prove useful in the development of Tn1545 as a tool for mutagenesis of Eu. cellulosolvens.