Abstract
DURING the course of an investigation involving the transforming ability of pneumococcal DNA, an interesting correlation was found between the transforming activity of lysates prepared at varying times from the same culture and the number of viable organisms in the culture. Streptococcus pneumoniae, strain Aml, an aminopterin resistant strain derived from strain R36A of Avery et al.1, was grown first in P medium and then in NS medium in the manner designed to promote competence2. At appropriate times, 1.0 ml. aliquots of the culture in NS medium were lysed in the presence of sodium citrate by the addition of sodium deoxycholate, and the DNA was precipitated with ethyl alcohol using sodium hyaluronate as coprecipitant2. In one of the experiments to be discussed another aliquot was taken at the same time as that for the lysate, and, after suitable dilution, was plated out in triplicate for a viable count. The lysates were assayed for their transforming activity with respect to resistance to aminopterin by a conventional method2, using Str. pneumoniae strain Cl. 3 as the receptor organism.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Avery, O. T., Macleod, C. M., and McCarty, M., J. Exp. Med., 29, 137 (1944).
Butler, L. O., J. Gen. Microbiol., 39, 247 (1965).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BUTLER, L. Changes in Transforming DNA in Pneumococcus. Nature 213, 827 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/213827a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/213827a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.