Recombinant DNA transfer to Escherichia coli of human faecal origin in vitro and in digestive tract of gnotobiotic mice

Abstract The role of helper elements in the mobilisation of pBR recombinant plasmids ( tra ⁻, mob ⁻, ori T⁺ and tra ⁻, mob ⁻, ori T⁻) from genetically engineered Escherichia coli K12 strains to other K12-strains and to wild-type E. coli strains of human faecal origin was examined. Transfer experiments were done in the digestive tract of axenic (germ free) and gnotobiotic mice, associated with human faecal flora, HFF. The kinetics of implantation of donors, recipients and transconjugants were determined. Mobilisation of ori T⁺ pBR-type plasmids, by trans-complementation with the products of tra and mob genes was obtained with E. coli K12, in the digestive tract of axenic mice and the resulting transconjugants became established together with the recipient and donor strains. Such mobilisation was only observed sporadically with one E. coli of human origin in axenic mice, but did not occur in gnotobiotic HFF mice. The E. coli strains of human origin were able to promote transfer of an ori T⁻ pBR-type plasmid in vitro but not in axenic or gnotobiotic mice. Transconjugants of wild-type strains obtained in in vitro mating experiments and inoculated into gnotobiotic HFF mice were eliminated as rapidly as the recombinant K12 strains. This work indicates that ≥ 50% of wild-type E. coli strains were able to promote transfer of pBR ori T⁻ plasmids in vitro.