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Worst-case scenarios for horizontal gene transfer from Lactococcus lactis carrying heterologous genes to Enterococcus faecalis in the digestive tract of gnotobiotic mice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 November 2003

Carl-Alfred Alpert ,
Denis D.G. Mater ,
Marie-Claude Muller ,
Marie-France Ouriet ,
Yvonne Duval-Iflah  and
Gérard Corthier
Carl-Alfred Alpert
Affiliation:
Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système digestif, INRA, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
Denis D.G. Mater
Affiliation:
Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système digestif, INRA, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
Marie-Claude Muller
Affiliation:
Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système digestif, INRA, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
Marie-France Ouriet
Affiliation:
Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système digestif, INRA, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
Yvonne Duval-Iflah
Affiliation:
Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système digestif, INRA, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
Gérard Corthier
Affiliation:
Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système digestif, INRA, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France

Abstract

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Since genetically modified (GM) lactic acid bacteria (LAB) might be released in open environments for future nutritional and medical applications, the purpose of this study was to determine an upper limit for the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in the digestive tract (DT) from Lactococcus lactis carrying heterologous genes (lux genes encoding a bacterial luciferase) to Enterococcus faecalis. Two enterococcal wide host-range conjugative model systems were used: (i) a system composed of a mobilizable plasmid containing the heterologous lux genes and a native conjugative helper plasmid; and (ii) a Tn916-lux transposon. Both systems were tested under the most transfer-prone conditions, i.e. germfree mice mono-associated with the recipient E. faecalis. No transfer was observed with the transposon system. Transfers of the mobilizable plasmid carrying heterologous genes were below 102 transconjugants per g of faeces for a single donor dose and reached between 103 and 104 transconjugants per g of faeces when continuous inoculation of the donor strain was used. Once established in mice, transconjugants persisted at low levels in the mouse DT.

Keywords

Lactococcus lactisEnterococcus faecalishorizontal gene transferconjugative transposonconjugative and mobilizable plasmidsdigestive tractluciferasegenetically modified bacteriagnotobiotic mice
Type
Research Article
Information
Environmental Biosafety Research , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , July 2003 , pp. 173 - 180
Copyright
© ISBR, EDP Sciences, 2003

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