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Spontaneous zygogenesis in Escherichia coli, a form of true sexuality in prokaryotes

¹ Laboratory of Phage-typing and Microbial Genetics, Pasteur Institute of Brussels, Rue Engeland 642, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium
² Laboratory of Cellular and Tissular Biology, University of Liege, Rue Engeland 642, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium

Correspondence
Jean-Pierre Gratia
jp.gratia{at}belgacom.net

A new type of mating, differing from classic conjugation and previously observed in a certain strain of Escherichia coli K-12, has also been found in strains derived from ordinary F^- cells of E. coli K-12 exposed to an exogenous factor originating in an E. coli clinical isolate. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy after single and double labelling of DNA were used to produce evidence in favour of a novel mating mechanism by cell contact at the poles of the bacterial rod. These findings are supported by genetic analyses indicating complete genetic mixing. Unstable complementing diploids were formed, which throw off phenotypically haploid cells, of which some showed a parental phenotype and some were true genetic recombinants. Recombination was observed even when one parent was a UV-inactivated F^- RecA^- strain. The name ‘spontaneous zygogenesis' (Z-mating, for short) is proposed for this kind of mating.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J.-P. Gratia Noncomplementing diploidy resulting from spontaneous zygogenesis in Escherichia coli Microbiology, September 1, 2005; 151(9): 2947 - 2959. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]