This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hendrickx, L.
Right arrow Articles by Wuertz, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hendrickx, L.
Right arrow Articles by Wuertz, S.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Hendrickx, L.
Right arrow Articles by Wuertz, S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2003, p. 1721-1727, Vol. 69, No. 3
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.3.1721-1727.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Natural Genetic Transformation in Monoculture Acinetobacter sp. Strain BD413 Biofilms

Larissa Hendrickx,1,{dagger} Martina Hausner,2 and Stefan Wuertz1*

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616,1 Institute of Water Quality Control and Waste Management, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany2

Received 5 March 2002/ Accepted 22 August 2002

Horizontal gene transfer by natural genetic transformation in Acinetobacter sp. strain BD413 was investigated by using gfp carried by the autonomously replicating plasmid pGAR1 in a model monoculture biofilm. Biofilm age, DNA concentration, and biofilm mode of growth were evaluated to determine their effects on natural genetic transformation. The highest transfer frequencies were obtained in young and actively growing biofilms when high DNA concentrations were used and when the biofilm developed during continuous exposure to fresh medium without the presence of a significant amount of cells in the suspended fraction. Biofilms were highly amenable to natural transformation. They did not need to advance to an optimal growth phase which ensured the presence of optimally competent biofilm cells. An exposure time of only 15 min was adequate for transformation, and the addition of minute amounts of DNA (2.4 fg of pGAR1 per h) was enough to obtain detectable transfer frequencies. The transformability of biofilms lacking competent cells due to growth in the presence of cells in the bulk phase could be reestablished by starving the noncompetent biofilm prior to DNA exposure. Overall, the evidence suggests that biofilms offer no barrier against effective natural genetic transformation of Acinetobacter sp. strain BD413.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. Phone: (530) 754-6407. Fax: (530) 752-7872. E-mail: swuertz{at}ucdavis.edu.

{dagger} Present adress: Laboratory for Microbiology, Radioactive Waste and Cleanup, Belgian Nuclear Research Center, Mol, Belgium.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2003, p. 1721-1727, Vol. 69, No. 3
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.3.1721-1727.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Mai-Prochnow, A., Lucas-Elio, P., Egan, S., Thomas, T., Webb, J. S., Sanchez-Amat, A., Kjelleberg, S. (2008). Hydrogen Peroxide Linked to Lysine Oxidase Activity Facilitates Biofilm Differentiation and Dispersal in Several Gram-Negative Bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 190: 5493-5501 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rizzi, A., Pontiroli, A., Brusetti, L., Borin, S., Sorlini, C., Abruzzese, A., Sacchi, G. A., Vogel, T. M., Simonet, P., Bazzicalupo, M., Nielsen, K. M., Monier, J.-M., Daffonchio, D. (2008). Strategy for In Situ Detection of Natural Transformation-Based Horizontal Gene Transfer Events. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 1250-1254 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Merod, R. T., Warren, J. E., McCaslin, H., Wuertz, S. (2007). Toward Automated Analysis of Biofilm Architecture: Bias Caused by Extraneous Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy Images. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 4922-4930 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kenzaka, T., Tani, K., Sakotani, A., Yamaguchi, N., Nasu, M. (2007). High-Frequency Phage-Mediated Gene Transfer among Escherichia coli Cells, Determined at the Single-Cell Level. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 3291-3299 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Maruyama, F., Tani, K., Kenzaka, T., Yamaguchi, N., Nasu, M. (2006). Quantitative Determination of Free-DNA Uptake in River Bacteria at the Single-Cell Level by In Situ Rolling-Circle Amplification. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 6248-6256 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Draghi, J. A., Turner, P. E. (2006). DNA secretion and gene-level selection in bacteria.. Microbiology 152: 2683-2688 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bester, E., Wolfaardt, G., Joubert, L., Garny, K., Saftic, S. (2005). Planktonic-Cell Yield of a Pseudomonad Biofilm. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7792-7798 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Maruyama, F., Kenzaka, T., Yamaguchi, N., Tani, K., Nasu, M. (2005). Visualization and Enumeration of Bacteria Carrying a Specific Gene Sequence by In Situ Rolling Circle Amplification. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7933-7940 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Merritt, J., Qi, F., Shi, W. (2005). A unique nine-gene comY operon in Streptococcus mutans. Microbiology 151: 157-166 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Webb, J. S., Lau, M., Kjelleberg, S. (2004). Bacteriophage and Phenotypic Variation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Development. J. Bacteriol. 186: 8066-8073 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»