TRANSFORMATION OF MYCOPLASMA-GALLISEPTICUM WITH TN916, TN4001, AND INTEGRATIVE PLASMID VECTORS

Mycoplasma gallisepticum causes respiratory disease in avian species, but little is known about its mechanism(s) of pathogenesis. These stud ies were undertaken in order to develop genetic systems for analysis o f potential virulence factors. M. gallisepticum was transformed with p lasmids containing one of the gram-positive transposons Tn916 or Tn400 1, which inserted randomly into the mycoplasmal chromosome. Plasmids c ontaining cloned chromosomal DNA were also constructed and tested for integration into regions of DNA homology derived either from chromosom al fragments or from the gentamicin resistance marker from Tn4001. The se studies demonstrate that M. gallisepticum is amenable to transforma tion with both transposons and integrative vectors.