Effects of different alleles of the E. coli K12 pol A gene on the replication of non-transferring plasmids

Plasmid replication-associated single-strand-specific methyltransferases

Analysis of genomic DNA from pathogenic strains of Burkholderia cenocepacia J2315 and Escherichia coli O104:H4 revealed the presence of two unusual MTase genes. Both are plasmid-borne ORFs, carried by pBCA072 for B. cenocepacia J2315 and pESBL for E. coli O104:H4. Pacific Biosciences SMRT sequencing was used to investigate DNA methyltransferases M.BceJIII and M.EcoGIX, using artificial constructs. Mating properties of engineered pESBL derivatives were also investigated. Both MTases yield promiscuous m6A modification of single strands, in the context SAY (where S = C or G and Y = C or T). Strikingly, this methylation is asymmetric in vivo, detected almost exclusively on one DNA strand, and is incomplete: typically, around 40% of susceptible motifs are modified. Genetic and biochemical studies suggest that enzyme action depends on replication mode: DNA Polymerase I (PolI)-dependent ColE1 and p15A origins support asymmetric modification, while the PolI-independent pSC101 origin does not. An MTase-PolI complex may enable discrimination of PolI-dependent and independent plasmid origins. M.EcoGIX helps to establish pESBL in new hosts by blocking the action of restriction enzymes, in an orientation-dependent fashion. Expression and action appear to occur on the entering single strand in the recipient, early in conjugal transfer, until lagging-strand replication creates the double-stranded form.

A series of medium and high copy number arabinose-inducible Escherichia coli expression vectors compatible with pBR322 and pACYC184

The original pBAD24 plasmid and the derived lower copy number (the pBAD322 series) expression vectors have been widely used in Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and related bacteria. However, a flexible pBAD expression system has been available only in pMB1 (ColE1) vectors. We report a series of pBAD vectors that replicate using the origin of plasmid RSF1030 that are compatible with pMB1 (ColE1) and p15A (pACYC) vectors. Both high (≥pBAD24) and medium (~pBAD322) copy number plasmids encoding resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, tetracycline, spectinomycin/streptomycin, gentamycin, or trimethoprim are available.

The synchrony phenotype persists after elimination of multiple GATC sites from the dnaA promoter of Escherichia coli

To examine whether methylation of the GATC sites present in the dnaA promoter region is responsible for the strict temporal coordination of initiation events at oriC as measured by the synchrony of initiation, we introduced point mutations eliminating three (TGW1) and five (TGW2) of the six GATC sites present in the dnaA promoter region. All of the strains containing these mutations, including the one with five GATC sites eliminated, initiated chromosomal replication synchronously.

Replication regions of Sinorhizobium meliloti plasmids

The replication (rep) regions of small plasmids from three Sinorhizobium meliloti strains were cloned by marker rescue. Two unique replication regions were identified, one of which was common to two different strains. Plasmid pBB83 carried a 7.2 kbp rep region from a 42 kbp plasmid, and pBB84 carried a 4.5 kbp rep region from a 36 kbp plasmid. The cloned rep regions were of different compatibility types, and were capable of displacing their parent plasmids from S. meliloti. Neither could function in a PolA- strain of Escherichia coli. The cloned replication regions were less stable in S. meliloti than their parent plasmids. The rep genes for each plasmid were localized to less than 2.5 kbp segments. Sequencing data revealed that the pBB83 Rep protein is uncommon, with partial identity to a protein encoded by a plasmid from S. meliloti GR4 [Mercado-Blanco, J., Olivares, J., 1994. The large nonsymbiotic plasmid pRmeGR4a of Rhizobium meliloti GR4 encodes a protein involved in replication that has homology with the RepC protein of Agrobacterium plasmids. Plasmid 32, 75-79]. However, the cloned DNA fragment also contains a truncated segment of the common repABC genes, suggesting that the parent plasmid contained two sets of replication genes. Other genes and an IS-element within the insert are most closely related to sequences derived from the Rhizobiaceae family, suggesting that the plasmid has a limited host range. In contrast, the pBB84 rep region contained genes similar to those associated with several broad host-range plasmids, and its Rep protein is related to that of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa broad host-range plasmid, pVS1 [Heeb, S., Itoh, Y., Nishijyo, T., Schnider, U., Keel, C., Wade, J., Walsh, U., O'Gara, F., Haas, D., 2000. Small, stable shuttle vectors based on the minimal pVS1 replicon for use in gram-negative, plant-associated bacteria. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 13, 232-237]. The pBB84 rep region also includes a probable origin of replication, consisting of DNA boxes flanking a series of direct repeats and an AT-rich sequence.

Products transcribed from rearranged rrn genes of Escherichia coli can assemble to form functional ribosomes

To examine the flexibility of rRNA operons with respect to fundamental organization, transcription, processing, and assembly of ribosomes, operon variations were introduced by a plasmid into an Escherichia coli strain that has deletions of all chromosomal copies of rRNA genes. In the reconstructed operons, a Salmonella intervening sequence (IVS) from 23S helix 45 was introduced into the E. coli 23S gene at the same position. Three different constructs of the E. coli 16S gene were then placed wholly within the IVS sequence, and the 16S gene was deleted from its normal position. The resulting plasmids thus had the normal operon promoters and the leader region followed by the 5' one-third of the 23S gene, the entire 16S gene within the IVS, the last two-thirds of the 23S gene, and the normal end of the operon. The three constructs differed in the amount of 16S leader and spacer regions they contained. Only two of the three constructs, those with redundant leader and spacer antiterminator signals, resulted in viable cultures of the rrn deletion strain. Electron micrographs of the variant operon suggest that the 23S rRNA is made in two separate parts which then must form subassemblies before assembling into a functional 50S subunit. Cells containing only the reshuffled genes were debilitated in their growth properties and ribosome contents. The fact that such out of the ordinary manipulation of rRNA sequences in E. coli is possible paves the way for detailed analysis of ribosome assembly and evolution.

Host factor titration by chromosomal R-loops as a mechanism for runaway plasmid replication in transcription termination-defective mutants of Escherichia coli

Two Escherichia coli genes, rnhA and recG, encode products that disrupt R-loops by hydrolysis and unwinding, respectively. It is known that the propensity for R-loop formation in vivo is increased during growth at 21 degrees C. We have identified several links between rnhA, recG, and R-loop-dependent plasmid replication on the one hand, and genes rho and nusG involved in factor-dependent transcription termination on the other. A novel nusG-G146D mutation phenocopied a rho-A243E mutation in conferring global deficiency in transcription termination, and both mutants were killed at 21 degrees C following overexpression of rnhA(+). Mutant combinations rnhA-nusG or recG-rho were synthetically lethal at 21 degrees C, with the former being suppressed by recG(+) overexpression. rho and nusG mutants were killed following transformation with plasmids such as pACYC184 or pUC19 (which have R-loop replication intermediates) even at 30 degrees C or 37 degrees C, and the lethality was correlated with greatly increased content of supercoiled monomer species of these and other co-resident R-loop-dependent plasmids. Plasmid-mediated lethality in the mutants was suppressed by overexpression of rnhA(+) or recG(+). Two additional categories of trans-acting suppressors of the plasmid-mediated lethality were identified whose primary effects were, respectively, a reduction in plasmid copy number even in the wild-type strain, and a restoration of the proficiency of in vivo transcription termination in the nusG and rho mutant strains. The former category of suppressors included rom(+), and mutations in rpoB(Q513L), pcnB, and polA, whereas the latter included a mutation in rho (R221C) and several non-null mutations (E74K, L26P, and delta64-137) in the gene encoding the nucleoid protein H-NS. We propose that an increased occurrence of chromosomal R-loops in the rho and nusG mutants leads to titration of a cyloplasmic host factor(s) that negatively modulates the stability of plasmid R-loop replication intermediates and consequently to runaway plasmid replication.

Principal causes of hot spots for cytosine to thymine mutations at sites of cytosine methylation in growing cells. A model, its experimental support and implications

In Escherichia coli and human cells, many sites of cytosine methylation in DNA are hot spots for C to T mutations. It is generally believed that T.G mismatches created by the hydrolytic deamination of 5-methylcytosines (5meC) are intermediates in the mutagenic pathway. A number of hypotheses have been proposed regarding the source of the mispaired thymine and how the cells deal with the mispairs. We have constructed a genetic reversion assay that utilizes a gene on a mini-F to compare the frequency of occurrence of C to T mutations in different genetic backgrounds in exponentially growing E. coli. The results identify at least two causes for the hot spot at a 5meC: (1) the higher rate of deamination of 5meC compared to C generates more T.G than uracil.G (U.G) mismatches, and (2) inefficient repair of T.G mismatches by the very short-patch (VSP) repair system compared to the repair of U. G mismatches by the uracil-DNA glycosylase (Ung). This combination of increased DNA damage when the cytosines are methylated coupled with the relative inefficiency in the post-replicative repair of T.G mismatches can be quantitatively modeled to explain the occurrence of the hot spot at 5meC. This model has implications for mutational hot and cold spots in all organisms.

DNA polymerase I in constitutive stable DNA replication in Escherichia coli

We examined the effects of mutations in the polA (encoding DNA polymerase I) and polB (DNA polymerase II) genes on inducible and constitutive stable DNA replication (iSDR and cSDR, respectively), the two alternative DNA replication systems of Escherichia coli. The polA25::miniTn10spc mutation severely inactivated cSDR, whereas polA1 mutants exhibited a significant extent of cSDR. cSDR required both the polymerase and 5'-->3' exonuclease activities of DNA polymerase I. A similar requirement for both activities was found in replication of the pBR322 plasmid in vivo. DNA polymerase II was required neither for cSDR nor for iSDR. In addition, we found that the lethal combination of an rnhA (RNase HI) and a polA mutation could be suppressed by the lexA(Def) mutation.

DNA polymerase beta can substitute for DNA polymerase I in the initiation of plasmid DNA replication

We previously demonstrated that mammalian DNA polymerase beta can substitute for DNA polymerase I of Escherichia coli in DNA replication and in base excision repair. We have now obtained genetic evidence suggesting that DNA polymerase beta can substitute for E. coli DNA polymerase I in the initiation of replication of a plasmid containing a pMB1 origin of DNA replication. Specifically, we demonstrate that a plasmid with a pMB1 origin of replication can be maintained in an E. coli polA mutant in the presence of mammalian DNA polymerase beta. Our results suggest that mammalian DNA polymerase beta can substitute for E. coli DNA polymerase I by initiating DNA replication of this plasmid from the 3' OH terminus of the RNA-DNA hybrid at the origin of replication.

DNA polymerase delta is required for base excision repair of DNA methylation damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We present evidence that DNA polymerase delta of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an enzyme that is essential for viability and chromosomal replication, is also required for base excision repair of exogenous DNA methylation damage. The large catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase delta is encoded by the CDC2(POL3) gene. We find that the mutant allele cdc2-2 confers sensitivity to killing by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) but allows wild-type levels of UV survival. MMS survival of haploid cdc2-2 strains is lower than wild type at the permissive growth temperature of 20 degrees C. Survival is further decreased relative to wild type by treatment with MMS at 36 degrees C, a nonpermissive temperature for growth of mutant cells. A second DNA polymerase delta allele, cdc2-1, also confers a temperature-sensitive defect in MMS survival while allowing nearly wild-type levels of UV survival. These observations provide an in vivo genetic demonstration that a specific eukaryotic DNA polymerase is required for survival of exogenous methylation damage. MMS sensitivity of a cdc2-2 mutant at 20 degrees C is complemented by expression of mammalian DNA polymerase beta, an enzyme that fills single-strand gaps in duplex DNA in vitro and whose only known catalytic activity is polymerization of deoxyribonucleotides. We conclude, therefore, that the MMS survival deficit in cdc2-2 cells is caused by failure of mutant DNA polymerase delta to fill single-strand gaps arising in base excision repair of methylation damage. We discuss our results in light of current concepts of the physiologic roles of DNA polymerases delta and epsilon in DNA replication and repair.

Isolation of a DNA polymerase I (polA) mutant of Rhizobium leguminosarum that has significantly reduced levels of an IncQ-group plasmid

A population of Tn5 mutagenized Rhizobium leguminosarum cells was screened for mutants affected in protein secretion by introducing a plasmid carrying the Erwinia chrysanthemi prtB gene and screening for mutants defective in secretion of the protease PrtB. One such mutant (A301) also appeared to be defective in secretion of the R. leguminosarum nodulation protein NodO. Genetic analysis showed that the defect in A301 was caused by the Tn5 insertion. However the DNA sequence adjacent to the site of Tn5 insertion had significant homology to the Escherichia coli polA gene, which encodes DNA polymerase I. The mutant A301 showed increased sensitivity to ultraviolet light, a characteristic of polA mutants of E. coli. The apparent defect in secretion by A301 was due to a large decrease in the copy number of the IncQ group replicon on which prtB and nodO were cloned and this decreased the total amounts of PrtB or NodO protein synthesised and secreted by the polA mutant. The polA mutant had a lower growth rate than the parent strain on both rich and minimal media, but there was no obvious effect of the polA mutation on the symbiosis of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae with pea.

Detection and characterization of mammalian DNA polymerase beta mutants by functional complementation in Escherichia coli

We have designed and utilized a bacterial complementation system to identify and characterize mammalian DNA polymerase beta mutants. In this complementation system, wild-type rat DNA polymerase beta replaces both the replicative and repair functions of DNA polymerase I in the Escherichia coli recA718 polA12 double mutant; our 263 DNA polymerase beta mutants replace E. coli polymerase I less efficiently or not at all. Of the 10 mutants that have been shown to contain DNA sequence alterations, 2 exhibit a split phenotype with respect to complementation of the growth defect and methylmethanesulfonate sensitivity of the double mutant; one is a null mutant. The mutants possessing a split phenotype contain amino acid residue alterations within a putative nucleotide binding site of DNA polymerase beta. This approach for the isolation and evaluation of mutants of a mammalian DNA polymerase in E. coli may ultimately lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of action of this enzyme and to precisely defining its role in vertebrate cells.

A new IncQ plasmid R89S: properties and genetic organization

The new small (8.18 kb) streptomycin-resistant multicopy plasmid R89S of the Q group incompatibility is described. In contrast to other IncQ plasmids, replication of R89S is dependent on DNA polymerase 1 and proceeds in the absence of de novo protein synthesis. According to our data up to now, the host spectrum of the plasmid R89S is limited to Enterobacteriaceae. A genetic map of the plasmid R89S has been prepared through the construction of deletion and insertion derivatives. Phenotypic analysis of these derivatives has identified the location of genes encoding resistance to streptomycin, and the region essential for mobilization of R89S. The origin of vegetative replication has been located within a 0.7-kb fragment. Another region highly homologous to oriV of the plasmid RSF1010, but not functioning as an origin of replication, was localized. Two regions involved in the expression of incompatibility have also been identified. The data from the restriction analyses, DNA-DNA hybridization, and genetic experiments enable us to assume that the plasmid R89S is a naturally occurring recombinant between part of an IncQ plasmid and another narrow host range replicon of unknown incompatibility group.

Tn1721 derivatives for transposon mutagenesis, restriction mapping and nucleotide sequence analysis

New derivatives of the tetracycline-resistance transposon Tn1721 that carry resistances to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, kanamycin and streptomycin are described. These elements are provided on various plasmid vehicles and as chromosomal insertions to extend the range of targets for Tn mutagenesis. Single EcoRI sites at the ends of these transposons proved most useful for physical mapping, for the generation of new EcoRI sites in cloning experiments, for end-labelling and for sequencing of DNA adjacent to an insertion.

Genetic mapping and DNA sequence analysis of mutations in the polA gene of Escherichia coli

DNA polymerase I of Escherichia coli provides an excellent model for the study of template-directed enzymatic synthesis of DNA because it is a single subunit enzyme, it can be obtained in large quantities and the three-dimensional structure of the polymerizing domain (the Klenow fragment) has recently been determined (Ollis et al., 1985). One approach to assigning functions to particular portions of the structure is to correlate the altered enzymatic behavior of mutant forms of DNA polymerase I with the change in the primary sequence of the protein. Towards this end we have developed a rapid procedure for mapping any polA mutation to a region no larger than 300 base-pairs within the polA gene. Two series of polA deletion mutants with defined end-points were constructed in vitro and cloned into bacteriophage lambda. These phages can then be used to map precisely E. coli polA mutants. Twelve polA- alleles have been mapped in this way and for nine of them the nature of the mutational change has been determined by DNA sequence analysis. Two of the mutations, polA5 and polA6, which affect the enzyme-DNA interaction, provide evidence for the location of the DNA binding region on the polymerase three-dimensional structure.

Escherichia coli 6S RNA is not essential for growth or protein secretion

The function of the stable 6S RNA of Escherichia coli is not known. Recently, it was proposed that the 6S RNA is a component of a bacterial signal recognition particle required for protein secretion. To test this proposal, we isolated a mutant that lacks the 6S RNA. Studies of the mutant show that the 6S RNA is not essential for growth or for protein secretion. The gene for the 6S RNA (ssr) maps near serA at 63 min on the E. coli genetic map.

Method for determining whether a gene of Escherichia coli is essential: application to the polA gene

We have developed a general method for determining whether a gene of Escherichia coli is essential for viability. The method requires cloned DNA spanning the gene in question and a reasonably detailed genetic and physical map of the cloned segment. Using this information, one constructs a deletion of the target gene in vitro. For convenience, the deletion can be marked by an antibiotic resistance gene. A DNA segment containing the deletion is then cloned onto an att delta phage lambda vector. Integration of this phage, by homologous recombination at the target locus, and subsequent excision provide an efficient route for crossing the marked deletion onto the bacterial chromosome. Failure to delete the target gene indicates either that the resulting deletion was not viable or that the desired recombinational event did not take place. The use of prophage excision to generate the deletion allows one to estimate the fraction of deletion-producing events by analysis of the other product of the excision, the phage produced on induction of the prophage. In this way one can determine whether failure to recover a particular chromosomal deletion was due to its never having been formed, or, once formed, to its failure to survive. Applying this method to the polA gene, we found that polA is required for growth on rich medium but not on minimal medium. We repeated the experiment in the presence of plasmids carrying functional fragments of the polA gene, corresponding to the 5'-3' exonuclease and the polymerase-3'-5' exonuclease portions of DNA polymerase I. Surprisingly, either of these fragments, in the absence of the other, was sufficient to allow growth on rich medium.

Trimethoprim-induced DNA polymerase I deficiency in Escherichia coli K-12

Curing of the mini-ColE1 plasmid pML21 was observed among cells of Escherichia coli K-12 strain C600(pML21) grown under subinhibitory conditions in the presence of trimethoprim, a specific inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase. Some of the cured colonies showed (i) a reduction in frequency of transformation with pML21 compared with those of isogenic strains not treated with trimethoprim, (ii) loss of viability after acquisition of a recA mutation, and (iii) UV sensitivity greater than that of the original isogenic strain. These colonies therefore had PolA- phenotypes. Moreover, they were found to be deficient in DNA polymerase I activity in the in vitro assays, indicating the occurrence of a polA mutation in them. Many of the colonies with PolA- phenotypes were also thyA deoC mutants, and these mutations, in addition to the polA mutations, appeared to be involved in the expression of the PolA- phenotypes.

Multiple mechanisms for expression of incompatibility by broad-host-range plasmid RK2

By cloning fragments of plasmid DNA, we have shown that RK2 expresses incompatibility by more than one mechanism. One previously identified (R. J. Meyer, Mol. Gen, Genet. 177:155--161, 1979; Thomas et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 181:1--7, 1981) determinant for incompatibility is linked to the origin of plasmid DNA replication. When cloned into a plasmid vector, this determinant prevents the stable inheritance of a coresident RK2. However, susceptibility to this mechanism of incompatibility requires an active RK2 replicon and is abolished if another replicator is provided. We have also cloned a second incompatibility determinant, encoded within the 54.1- to 56.4-kilobase region of RK2 DNA, which we call IncP-1(II). An RK2 derivative remains sensitive to IncP-1(II), even when it is not replicating by means of the RK2 replicon. The 54.1- to 56.4-kilobase DNA does not confer susceptibility to the IncP-1(II) mechanism, nor does it encode a detectable system for efficient plasmid partitioning. The incompatibility may be related to the expression of genes mapping in the 54.1- to 56.4-kilobase region, which are required for plasmid maintenance and suppression of plasmid-encoded killing functions.

Broad-host-range IncP-4 plasmid R1162: effects of deletions and insertions on plasmid maintenance and host range

R1162 is an 8.7-kilobase (kb) broad-host-range replicon encoding resistance to streptomycin and sulfa drugs. In vitro deletion of 1.8-kb DNA between coordinates 3.0 and 5.3 kb did not affect plasmid maintenance, but a Tn1 insertion at coordinate 6.3 kb led to a recessive defect in plasmid maintenance. The only cis-acting region necessary for plasmid replication appears to lie between the Tn1 insertion at coordinate 6.3 kb and a second Tn1 insertion at coordinate 6.5 kb. All R1162 sequences between position 6.5 kb and the EcoRI site at coordinate 8.7/0 kb were dispensible for replication in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida. Plasmids carrying insertions in a variety of restriction sites in an R1162::Tn1 derivative were unstable in P. putida but stable in E. coli. Tn5 insertions in R1162 showed a hot spot at coordinate 7.5 kb. A Tn5 insertion at coordinate 8.2 kb appeared to mark the 3' end of the streptomycin phosphotransferase coding sequence. All R1162::Tn5 derivatives showed specific instability in Pseudomonas strains but not in E. coli. The instability could be relieved by internal deletions of Tn5 sequences. In the haloaromatic-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain B13, introduction of an unstable R1162::Tn5 plasmid led to loss of ability to utilize m-chlorobenzoate as a growth substrate. Our results showed that alteration of plasmid sequence organization in nonessential regions can result in restriction of plasmid host range.

Replication of the broad host range plasmid RSF1010 in cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Replication of exogenous RSF1010 DNA can be carried out by soluble enzyme systems from Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It requires the function of RSF1010-encoded replication protein(s), which is not expressed in extracts from plasmid-free bacteria. In contrast to previously described in vitro systems for plasmid replication, initiation of RSF1010 DNA synthesis is independent of transcription catalyzed by host RNA polymerase. This is indicated by the insensitivity of RSF1010 replication to rifampicin as well as to RNA polymerase antibodies. It is proposed that a host RNA polymerase transcription-independent initiation mechanism might be a general property of broad host range plasmids.

Properties of R1162, a broad-host-range, high-copy-number plasmid

Regions of plasmid DNA encoding characteristic properties of the IncQ (P-4) group plasmid R1162 were identified by mutagenesis and in vitro cloning. Coding sequences sufficient for expression of incompatibility and efficient conjugal mobilization by plasmid R751 were found to be linked to the origin of DNA replication. In contrast, there was a region remote from the origin, and active in trans, that was required for plasmid maintenance. A derivative that was temperature sensitive for stability was isolated. The defect mapped at or near the region required for plasmid maintenance and resulted in far fewer copies of supercoiled plasmid DNA per cell under permissive conditions. A second region required for stability was also identified from the behavior of a deletion derivative of R1162, which did not, however, show an altered number of supercoiled plasmid DNA copies. Finally, a plasmid DNA mutation resulting in a substantially higher copy number was isolated. Plasmid reconstruction experiments suggested that the mutation was linked to the replicative origin.

The nucleotide sequence of the replication origin of plasmid NTP1

The sequence of the DNA of the origin region of NTP1 has been obtained. Analysis of the sequence indicates that: (1) there is great sequence homology in the DNA upstream from the origin in NTP1, ColE1, CLODF13, PBR345 AND PBR322; (2) only seven base pairs of NTP1 are identical with the sequence downstream from the origin in ColE1, although some homology exists for 140 bases downstream; (3) two ten base pair direct repeats are present in NTP1 which are also conserved in all four plasmids named above; (4) probably no polypeptide greater than fifteen amino acids in length is encoded by the NTP1 origin region, since no single open reading frame is conserved in all five plasmids.

Genetic analysis of the inter-relationship between plasmid replication and incompatibility

The relationship between replication control and plasmid incompatibility has been investigated using a composite replicon, pPM1, which consists of the pSC101 plasmid ligated to another small multicopy plasmid, RSF1050. Since pPM1 can utilise the replication system of either of the two functionally distinct components, propagation of the composite plasmid can occur in the presence of a mutation of one of its moieties. Such mutants are detected by their inability to rescue the composite plasmid under conditions not permissive for replication of the other moiety. Mutations in incompatibility functions can be detected by the failure of the composite replicon to exclude co-existing plasmids carrying a replication system identical to the one on pPM1. The inability of the composite plasmid to replicate at 42 degrees in a host synthesizing temperature-sensitive DNA polymerase I, which is required by the RSF1050 replication system, was used to isolate pPM1 mutants defective in replication of the pSC101 component. Mutants defective in the incompatibility functions of pSC101 were obtained by selecting derivatives that allow the stable coexistence of a second pSC101 replicon in the same cell. Analysis of these two classes of mutants indicates that plasmids selected for defective pSC101 replication ability nervertheless retain pSC101 incompatibility. In contrast, plasmid mutants that have lost incompatibility functions were found always to be defective in replication ability.

Location of an ampicillin resistance transposon, Tn1701, in a group of small, nontransferring plasmids

By restriction endonuclease cleavage mapping and electron microscopic examination of heteroduplexes, we have identified an ampicillin resistance determinant transposon, designated Tn1701, in a group of small, nontransferring plasmids which confer resistance to ampicillin (Ap), sulfonamide (Su), and streptomycin (Sm). Plasmid NTP1, which mediates Ap resistance, contains Tn1701. Recombinant plasmids NTP3 (Ap Su) and NTP4 (Ap Su Sm) contain Tn1701, indicating that they were derived by transposition of Tn1701 from NTP1 to an unrelated plasmid, NTP2 (Su Sm). The transposon Tn1701 is very similar to the known ampicillin resistance transposons Tn1, Tn2, and Tn3 in its size (3.2 x 10(6) daltons), base sequence homology observed by heteroduplex formation, restriction endonuclease cleavage sites, and possession of a short inverted repeat sequence at both ends. Like the other TnA elements, Tn1701 also specifies a type TEM beta-lactamase.

The contruction and replication properties of hybrid plasmids composed of the r-determinant of R100.1 and the plasmids pCRI and pSC201

We have cloned the entire r-determinant of the antibiotic resistance plasmid R100.1 on the plasmic vectors pCR1 and pSC201. We find that the hybrid plasmids segregate from cultures in which replication of the vector is blocked. This suggests that the r-det is not capable of autonomous replication.

Interaction between the plasmid R6K and Escherichia coli with defective DNA polymerase I

Initial experiments demonstrated that the plasmid R6K cannot be transferred to or maintained readily in theE. coliDNA polymerase I deficient strain JG138polA1. Results withE. coliMM386polA12(R6K), which has a temperature sensitive polymerase I enzyme, showed cell division becomes abnormal when the polymerase I enzyme of the host bacteria is inactivated at the restrictive temperature. Under conditions of polymerase I deficiency, R6K replication, as measured by monitoring R-factor-mediated β-lactamase activity, also becomes abnormal with the loss of multiple R6K copies per cell and the apparent maintenance of a single R-factor copy per cell.

Replication of the nonconjugative plasmid RSF1010 in Escherichia coli K-12

Replicating DNA molecules of the nonconjugative R plasmid RSF1010 (Smr Sur) were cleaved with the EcoRI restriction endonuclease and examined with the electron microscope. Results of this analysis indicated that replication is initiated from an origin located at about 19% of total genome size from one of the EcoRI ends. Replication proceeded either unidirectionally or bidirectionally with equal frequency. Results of the analysis of replicative intermediates of RSF1010 containing the Apr-transposable sequence (Tn) are also presented.

Synthesis of R-plasmid-coded beta-lactamase in minicells and in an in vitro system

beta-Lactamase encoded by a small, nontransferring R-plasmid, NTP1, conferring ampicillin resistance to its host bacteria, was purified. NTP1 plasmid-coded beta-lactamase was found to be periplasmically located in the host Escherichia coli cell, to have a molecular weight of about 25,000, and to show a relatively low activity against oxacillin and methicillin compared with benzylpenicillin. These characteristics indicate that NTP1 plasmid-coded beta-lactamase is very similar or identical to the "TEM-type" beta-lactamase, which is the most common beta-lactamase coded by R-plasmids in enteric bacteria. In minicells containing NTP1 plasmids, at least six plasmid-specific proteins were synthesized, and beta-lactamase was synthesized in a greater amount than other plasmid-coded proteins. In a cell-free transcription-translation coupled system from E. coli, NTP1 plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid directed the synthesis of several species of plasmid-specific proteins, including active beta-lactamase. The in vitro system also showed preferential synthesis of beta-lactamase, as was observed in minicells containing NTP1 plasmids.

REPLICAtion of small plasmids in extracts of Escherichia coli: requirement for both DNA polymerases I and II

The role of the three E. coli DNA polymerases (pol I, II, and III) in the replication of Col E1 DNA and other small plasmids with similar replicative properties was investigated in a soluble in vitro system prepared by freeze-thaw lysis of chloramphenicol-treated cells (Staudenbauer, 1976). Extracts from isogenic mutants of the polA, polB and polC gene loci deficient in pol I, II, and III respectively were examined for their replicative capacity. It was found that polA and polC extracts are deficient in the synthesis of supercoiled plasmid DNA, whereas the polB mutation has not effect. Deficient extracts could be complemented by addition of purified pol I and pol III holoenzyme. Analysis of the in vitro synthesized DNA by alkaline gradient centrifugation indicates that pol I is involved in an early step of the replication cycle whereas pol III is required at a later stage. These conclusions are confirmed by inhibition studies employing arabionsylcytosine triphosphate (aCTP) which is shown to interfere with pol III as well as pol II. The strong inhibitory effect of aCTP on plasmid replication is not influenced by the polB mutation and mimicks the effects of thermal inactivation of polC extracts. It is suggested that aCTP blocks plasmid ENA replication in vitro by interfering with pol III function

ColE plasmid replication in DNA polymerase I-deficient strains of Escherichia coli

Replication of the non-conjugative plasmids ColE1, ColE2 and Col3 has been examined in a number of DNA polymerase I-deficient strains, two of which contain the amber mutation polA1 along with either of two temperature-sensitive supF amber suppressors. These latter two strains produce reduced amounts of DNA polymerase I polymerizing activity of similar, if not identical properties to that produced by polA+ strains. Our results indicate that the ColE plasmids require different amounts of DNA polymerase I for stable plasmid maintenance. Moreover whereas all three plasmids are maintained in a strain defective in the 5' leads to 3' exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase I, ColE2 and ColE3 are not stably maintained between 30 degrees and 43 degrees in a number of DNA POLYMERASE I-deficient strains that are temperature-sensitive for ColE1 replication.

Mapping of the polA locus of Escherichia coli K12: orientation in the amino- and carboxy-termini of the cistron

Three mutations of the polA cistron, the structural gene for DNA polymerase I of E. coli, have been ordered by three factor transductional crosses. The three mutant polymerase species have altered properties which may be ascribed to defects located in different portions of the polypeptide chain. Our data indicate that the amino terminal end is encoded by the end of the polA cistron nearer to metE and that transcription and translation proceed clockwise on the E. coli circular map towards the rha locus.