Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between bacteria with different habitats and nutritional requirements is important for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). The objective of the present study was to clarify the effects of organic matter on HGT between nourished and starved bacteria. We demonstrated that conjugation ability is affected by the nutritional conditions of the cell and environment. A filter mating HGT experiment was performed using Photobacterium damselae ssp. damselae, strain 04Ya311, a marine-origin bacterium possessing the multidrug-resistance plasmid pAQU1, as the donor, and Escherichia coli as the recipient. The donor and recipient were both prepared as nutrient-rich cultured and starved cells. Filter mating was performed on agar plates with and without organic nutrients. The transcription of the plasmid-borne genes tet(M) and traI was quantitated under eutrophic and oligotrophic conditions. The donor P. damselae transferred the plasmid to E. coli at a transfer rate of 10−4 under oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions. However, when the donor was starved, HGT was not detected under oligotrophic conditions. The addition of organic matter to starved cells restored conjugative HGT even after 6 d of starvation. The transcription of traI was not detected in starved cells, but was restored upon the addition of organic matter. The HGT rate appears to be affected by the transcription of plasmid-associated genes. The present results suggest that the HGT rate is low in starved donors under oligotrophic conditions, but is restored by the addition of organic matter.

中文翻译：

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发光杆菌 damselae ssp.滋养细胞和饥饿细胞之间的接合基因转移。少女和大肠杆菌

具有不同栖息地和营养需求的细菌之间的水平基因转移 (HGT) 对于抗生素抗性基因 (ARG) 的传播很重要。本研究的目的是阐明有机物对营养细菌和饥饿细菌之间 HGT 的影响。我们证明了结合能力受细胞和环境营养条件的影响。过滤器配对 HGT 实验是使用 Photobacterium damselae ssp 进行的。damselae，菌株 04Ya311，一种海洋来源的细菌，具有多药耐药性质粒 pAQU1，作为供体，大肠杆菌作为受体。供体和受体均制备为营养丰富的培养细胞和饥饿细胞。在有和没有有机营养物的琼脂平板上进行过滤交配。在富营养和贫营养条件下对质粒携带的基因 tet(M) 和 traI 的转录进行定量。在贫营养和富营养条件下，供体 P.damselae 以 10-4 的转移率将质粒转移到大肠杆菌中。然而，当供体饥饿时，在寡营养条件下未检测到 HGT。即使在饥饿 6 天后，向饥饿细胞添加有机物质也能恢复结合 HGT。在饥饿的细胞中未检测到 traI 的转录，但在添加有机物后恢复。HGT 率似乎受质粒相关基因转录的影响。目前的结果表明，在贫营养条件下饥饿供体的 HGT 率较低，但通过添加有机物可以恢复。