RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Romero, Dennis A. A1 Klaenhammer, Todd R.YR 1990 T1 Abortive phage infection and restriction/modification activities directed by pTR2030 determinants are enhanced by recombination with conjugal elements in lactococci JF Microbiology, VO 136 IS 9 SP 1817 OP 1824 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-136-9-1817 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2080, AB The recombinant plasmid pTK6 is composed of a 13·6 kb fragment from pTR2030 encoding phage resistance determinants for restriction/modification (R+/M+) and abortive phage infection (Hsp+) cloned into shuttle vector pSA3 (erythromycin resistance, Emr). Conjugal matings were performed to mobilize pTK6-encoded markers from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis MMS362 and MG1363. Emr transconjugants were recovered at 10−6 per input donor and harboured pTK6 or recombinant plasmids not found in either parental strain. The recombinant plasmids (pTRK78 and pTRK79) encoded Emr, Hsp+ and R+/M+, and transferred at high frequency in second-round matings. Mobilization of pTK6 from the otherwise plasmid-free donor, L. lactis MG1363, confirmed the presence of a conjugal element in this strain. Phage resistance in transconjugants containing pTRK78 and pTRK79 was markedly enhanced over pTK6-directed Hsp+ and R+/M+. In L. lactis LM2345 transconjugants, a reduction in plaque size was accompanied by a significant decrease in the efficiency of plaquing for phages c2 (10−2 to 10−6) and p2 (< 10−9). L. lactis NCK203 transconjugants containing pTRK78 or pTRK79 exhibited an additional 100-1000-fold reduction in the plaquing efficiency of 𝜙48 (10−4 to 10−5) over pTK6 imposed restriction (10−2). Increased resistance to phage was a consequence of the physical interaction of pTR2030-derived sequences on pTK6 with a conjugal element resident in the donor strains., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-136-9-1817