Bacteriophage mediated inter & intraspecies chromosomal gene transfer

Abstract

Although many different methods of horizontal gene transfer have already been identified, and the effect of bacteriophages on horizontal chromosomal gene transfer is yet to be well studied. Bacteriophages are linked to controlling the number of bacteria in the environment. During specific seasons the concentration of phages increases in the environment which could influence the availability of free DNA in the environment. Our study focus is to check whether the abundance of free DNA induces by increased bacteriophages has any effect on horizontal gene transfer. According to research done to date, plasmid DNA can be passed to other bacteria via horizontal gene transfer, whereas chromosomal genes can also be transmitted but need some genetic modifications. In our study, we used bacteriophage to lyse the host bacterial cell so that it could release the genetic material inside the experimental environment and introduced the targeted bacteria to the same environment so that it could take up the released genetic material and be modified. The result showed that the antibiotic resistance chromosomal gene is transferred from antibiotic-resistant bacteria to antibiotic-sensitive bacteria. Thus, bacteriophage-induced chromosomal gene transformation could be the novel mechanism of HGT.