Transfer of plasmid RSF1010 by conjugation from Escherichia coli to Streptomyces lividans and Mycobacterium smegmatis.

The plasmid RSF1010 belongs to a class of plasmids (IncQ) that replicate in a range of bacterial hosts. Although non-self-transmissible, it can be mobilized at high frequency between different gram-negative bacterial species if transfer functions are supplied in trans. We report the transfer of RSF1010 by conjugation from Escherichia coli to the gram-positive actinomycetes Streptomyces lividans and Mycobacterium smegmatis. In its new hosts, the plasmid was stable with respect to structure and inheritance and conferred high-level resistance to streptomycin and sulfonamide. This is the first reported case of conjugative transfer of a naturally occurring plasmid between gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.