To investigate transfer to the indigenous marine
population by transduction, Jiang and Paul (1998) produced
lysates from host bacteria that contained the plasmid
pQSR50. The lysates were then added to concentrated
indigenous marine microbial communities. One phage,
φD1B, yielded transductants of the natural population.
Transductants were verified by probing with the Tn5
sequences. As found for natural transformation of plasmid
DNA, restriction profiles were modified in transductants.
Amplification of the transductants using plasmid specific
primers indicated correct amplification of the kanamycin
resistance gene but that a restriction site was missing from
another portion of the plasmid. This indicates that , as with
natural plasmid transformation, some rearrangement/
recombination of the plasmid DNA occurred by the natural
community.