Conjugal transfer of hydrogen-oxidizing ability of [formula omitted] to [formula omitted

Abstract

Conjugal transfer of hydrogen-oxidizing ability (Hox) of the hydrogen bacterium Alcaligenes hydrogenophilus was examined. Intraspecific cross of plasmid pHG21-a that encodes hydrogenases that mediate hydrogen oxidation was most frequent at 25 C; the optimal temperature for growth was 30 C. The plasmid could be transferred from A. hydrogenophilus to Pseudomonas oxalaticus OX1 and OX4, and the resulting strains gained the capacity for autotrophic growth with H 2 and CO 2. Plasmid pHG21-a was maintained in P. oxalaticus OX1 and OX4 as stably as in A. hydrogenophilus .