Insertional mutagenesis of Listeria monocytogenes with a novel Tn917 derivative that allows direct cloning of DNA flanking transposon insertions

Abstract

To carry out efficient insertional mutagenesis in Listeria monocytogenes and to facilitate the characterization of disrupted genes, two novel derivatives of Tn917 were constructed, Tn917-LTV1 and Tn917-LTV3. The derivatives (i) transpose at a significantly elevated frequency, (ii) generate transcriptional lacZ fusions when inserted into a chromosomal gene in the appropriate orientation, and (iii) allow the rapid cloning in Escherichia coli of chromosomal DNA flanking transposon insertions. The rapid cloning of DNA flanking insertions is possible because the transposon derivatives carry ColE1 replication functions, a cluster of polylinker cloning sites, and antibiotic resistance genes selectable in E. coli (bla in the case of Tn917-LTV1; neo and ble in the case of Tn917-LTV3). The enhanced transposition frequency of Tn917-LTV1 and Tn917-LTV3 (about 100-fold in Bacillus subtilis) is believed to be due to the fortuitous placement of vector-derived promoters upstream from the Tn917 transposase gene. In L. monocytogenes, Tn917-LTV3 transposed at a frequency of 8 x 10(-4) when introduced on a pE194Ts-derived vector and generated at least eight different auxotrophic mutations. Two nonhemolytic insertion mutants of L. monocytogenes were isolated, and DNA flanking the transposon insertions was cloned directly into E. coli, making use of the ColE1 rep functions and neo gene carried by Tn917-LTV3. Both insertions were shown to be within hlyA, the L. monocytogenes hemolysin structural gene. Although Tn917-LTV1 and Tn917-LTV3 were constructed specifically for genetic analysis of L. monocytogenes, their enhanced transposition frequency and convenience for cloning of DNA adjacent to sites of insertions make them the transposon derivatives of choice for insertional mutagenesis in any gram-positive bacteria that support replication of pE194Ts.