Fusobacterium nucleatum is an anaerobic Gram negative bacterium, predominant in the oral microbiota and believed to play an important role in the development of periodontal disease.
Lack of genetic systems hinders research of this organism. Recently, two E. coli-F. nucleatum shuttle vectors have been created. Fusobacterial restriction enzymes are hypothesized to reduce transformation efficiency in this organism.
Objectives: To determine the involvement of type I restriction enzymes in inhibiting transformation of F. nucleatum.
Methods: The effect of a type I restriction inhibitor on transformation efficiency of F. nucleatum ATCC 23726 and ATCC 10953 was tested.
Results: Using a type I restriction inhibitor increased transformation efficiency, indicating the activity of type I restriction enzymes in both tested strains.
Conclusion: In this study, type I restriction enzymes were found to reduce transformation efficiency in F. nucleatum, therefore usage of a type I restriction inhibitor is beneficial in F. nucleatum transformation.
This work was supported by the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (grant number 2005084).