Construction of mini-Tn4001 transposon vector for Mycoplasma gallisepticum.

The detailed genetic analysis of mycoplasmas has long been hampered by the lack of appropriate tools for genetic manipulation. In this study, the transposon vector, mini-Tn4001tetM, was constructed containing the tnp gene, encoding a transposase gene in Staphylococcus aureus, two copies of the IS256 inverted repeat sequence (inner and outer) and the tetM gene, from the Enterococcus faecalis Tn916 transposon, conferring resistance to tetracycline. This vector was electro-transformed into Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG).