Identification of genes controlling the transition of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria to a non-culturable state

Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium with an impaired process of transition to the nonculturable state were tainted. Mutants were divided into four phenotypic groups. In four mutants (representatives of each phenotypic group), genes with TnPhoA transposon insertions were cloned; these insertions caused a disturbance in the process of mutant cell transition to the nonculturable state. Nucleotide sequences of mutant gene fragments were determined. Comparison of nucleotide sequences obtained with a data bank on DNA nucleotide sequences of enterobacterial genomes allowed the identification of four genes involved in the control of nonculturable form generation in salmonellae.