More precise mapping of the replication origin in Escherichia coli K-12

Helicobacter pylori chromosomal DNA replication: current status and future perspectives

Helicobacter pylori causes gastritis, gastric ulcer and gastric cancer. Though DNA replication and its control are central to bacterial proliferation, pathogenesis, virulence and/or dormancy, our knowledge of DNA synthesis in slow growing pathogenic bacteria like H. pylori is still preliminary. Here, we review the current understanding of DNA replication, replication restart and recombinational repair in H. pylori. Several differences have been identified between the H. pylori and Escherichia coli replication machineries including the absence of DnaC, the helicase loader usually conserved in gram-negative bacteria. These differences suggest different mechanisms of DNA replication at initiation and restart of stalled forks in H. pylori.

Host controlled plasmid replication: Escherichia coli minichromosomes

Escherichia coli minichromosomes are plasmids replicating exclusively from a cloned copy of oriC, the chromosomal origin of replication. They are therefore subject to the same types of replication control as imposed on the chromosome. Unlike natural plasmid replicons, minichromosomes do not adjust their replication rate to the cellular copy number and they do not contain information for active partitioning at cell division. Analysis of mutant strains where minichromosomes cannot be established suggest that their mere existence is dependent on the factors that ensure timely once per cell cycle initiation of replication. These observations indicate that replication initiation in E. coli is normally controlled in such a way that all copies of oriC contained within the cell, chromosomal and minichromosomal, are initiated within a fairly short time interval of the cell cycle. Furthermore, both replication and segregation of the bacterial chromosome seem to be controlled by sequences outside the origin itself.

The replication origin of proplastid DNA in cultured cells of tobacco

When tobacco suspension culture line BY2 cells in stationary phase are transferred into fresh medium, replication of proplastid DNA proceeds for 24 h in the absence of nuclear DNA replication. Replicative intermediates of the proplastid DNA concentrated by benzoylated, naphthoylated DEAE cellulose chromatography, were radioactively labelled and hybridized to several sets of restriction endonuclease fragments of tobacco chloroplast DNA. The intermediates hybridized preferentially to restriction fragments in the two large inverted repeats. Mapping of D-loops and of restriction fragment lengths by electron microscopy permitted the localization of the replication origin, which was close to the 23S rRNA gene in the inverted repeats. The replication origins in both segments of the inverted repeat in tobacco proplastid DNA were active in vivo.

Overinitiation of chromosome and plasmid replication in a dna Acos mutant of Escherichia coli K12. Evidence for dnaA-dnaB interactions

The dnaAcos mutations are phenotypic suppressors of dnaAts46 that are co-transduced with dnaA, render the cell cold sensitive, and cause an excess of chromosome replication relative to cell mass when the cells are shifted from 42 degrees C to 32 degrees C. We have used pulse labelling and DNA-DNA hybridization to follow the effect of a temperature shift on the replication of the chromosome and of the plasmids pSC101, RTF-Tc, and lambda dv in such strains. After a shift of a dnaAcos strain from 42 degrees C to 32 degrees C (non-permissive temperature), initiation of the chromosome and replication of the plasmid pSC101 are stimulated, while the dnaA-independent plasmid RTF-Tc is not affected. The presence of pSC101 does not affect the level of overinitiation of the chromosome. The presence of lambda dv suppresses the cold sensitivity of dnaAcos mutants and allows the cells to grow at both 32 degrees C and 42 degrees C. The presence of lambda dv suppresses the overinitiation of chromosome and of pSC101 replication at 32 degrees C. Previous reports had shown that these suppressions involve an interaction between the dnaA product and the lambda P protein, which is also known to interact with dnaB. We show here that the mutant prophage P1 bac-crr, which produces high levels of a dnaB analogue, suppresses the dnaAcos phenotype, while wild type P1 does not. These results suggest that initiation involves interactions between the dnaA and dnaB products.

Expression of accumulated capacity for initiation of chromosome and minichromosome replication in dnaA mutants of Escherichia coli

Chromosome and minichromosome replication were examined in temperature-sensitive dnaA mutants of Escherichia coli growing at temperatures between permissive and nonpermissive. Periodicities in [14C]thymidine uptake were detected as cultures incubated at intermediate temperatures approached late exponential-early stationary phase of growth. Exposure of the cultures to a nutritional shift-up caused a stimulation of chromosome replication associated with a rapid initiation of new rounds of replication, very similar to that observed after exposure to chloramphenicol. Addition of rifampin also caused a stimulation, but to a much lesser extent. The induced initiations of chromosome replication took place in two waves, as was the case when the cultures were simply shifted to permissive temperature. Minichromosomes were also stimulated to replicate by the addition of chloramphenicol at intermediate temperatures, providing further evidence that the chromosomal region which responded to the chloramphenicol treatment was in the vicinity of oriC. The findings are consistent with the conclusion that the initiations induced by chloramphenicol are consequences of the involvement of the dnaA gene product in a transcriptional step at initiation, as suggested by Orr et al. The results also suggest that the activity of the dnaA gene product is not normally involved in controlling the frequency of initiation of chromosome replication.

Accumulation of ColE1 early replicative intermediates catalyzed by extracts of Escherichia coli dnaG mutant strains

To investigate the events occurring at the replication forks during DNA synthesis, we studied the replication of plasmid ColE1 DNA in vivo and in vitro, using strains of Escherichia coli carrying either the dnaG3(Ts) or dnaG308(Ts) mutation. Extracts of both mutant strains supported in vitro DNA synthesis, but the amount of [3H]TMP incorporated into DNA was always less for mutant extracts than for extracts of revertant strains, which were able to grow at 42 degrees C. Sucrose gradient analysis, Southern blot analysis, and electron microscopy showed that mutant extracts synthesize a large number of early replicative intermediates containing one or two (one on each template strand) fragments at the origin of replication and some completed molecules, either open circles or covalently closed circles. The revertant extracts synthesized more completed molecules although the fraction of templates used was about the same, 0.27 for mutant extracts and 0.21 for revertant extracts. Our results show that a mutation in dnaG causes a block in the synthesis of both leading and lagging strands after initiation, which results in the accumulation of early replicative intermediates. The average size of the newly replicated region in the early replicative intermediates is 730 bases as measured from electron micrographs of early replicative intermediates. We conclude that the DnaG protein functions in lagging strand synthesis and may be necessary for the continuation of leading strand synthesis as well.

Incompatibility of plasmids containing the replication origin of the Escherichia coli chromosome

Plasmids containing the replication origin of the Escherichia coli chromosome (oriC plasmids) are unstable in certain recA strains of E. coli. However, they can be maintained more stably in other recA strains. This stable maintenance has allowed us to study the incompatibility properties of oriC plasmids. We have found that two oriC plasmids are incompatible: they cannot be stably coinherited in individual dividing cells. An oriC plasmid is excluded from growing bacteria at a much faster rate in the presence of a hybrid plasmid made from an oriC plasmid and a high-copy-number vector plasmid than in the presence of another oriC plasmid. By inserting various segments around the oriC region into high-copy-number vectors, we have shown that two different regions in the vicinity of the oriC region determine incompatibility. One region, which we named incA, includes the region essential for autonomous replication of the oriC plasmid. The other, incB, is adjacent to incA but is not required for autonomous replication.

Multiply branched replicative intermediates in E. coli and bacteriophage lambda

Multiple branched DNA fragments present in a fast sedimenting complex comprising a minute fraction of the E. coli genome have been isolated. Similar structures were also observed among bacteriophage lambda DNA replicative intermediates after infection of synchronized E. coli cells. These structures were found to be associated with the amino acid and thymidine starvation steps required for synchronization and originate either by initiation from secondary sites or by snap-back of daughter strands containing substantial single stranded regions in the vicinity of the growing point.

The structure of R1drd19: a revised physical map of the plasmid

We have analyzed derivatives of the plasmid R1drd19 carrying the transposon Tn10 by electron microscopy following denaturation and renaturation of the molecules, and by digestion with various restriction enzymes, gel electrophoresis and Southern blotting. We show: 1) that the published restriction map of R1drd19 is inconsistent with our results. We present a modified map which is consistent with our data. 2) that R1drd19 carries a single resident copy of the element IS10 which is normally associated with Tn10 as an inverted repeat, and 3) that R1drd19 carries three copies of the insertion element IS1 in the resistance determinant region.

Isolation of an IS1 flanked kanamycin resistance transposon from R1drd19

We have isolated and identified an IS1-flanked transposon from the plasmid R1drd19. This transposon specifies resistance to kanamycin and is 10.4 kg long. It exhibits a frequency of transposition two orders of magnitude lower than that of the smaller, IS1-flanked transposon Tn9. We have named it Tn2350.

Isolation and characterization of lambda b221poriCasnA, a plaque-forming specialized transducing phage carrying the origin of replication of the Escherichia coli chromosome

A specialized transducing phage lambda b221poriCasnA has been isolated carrying oriC the origin of chromosomal replication of Escherichia coli. All phage genes required for lytic growth are retained, thus the phage is capable of lytic growth. The presence of the oriC locus confers upon infecting phage DNA the ability to replicate as a plasmid using only host DNA replication functions. The presence of both oriC and ansA markers has allowed the development of a plaque assay for origin function which can be used to identify mutants at these loci. Comparison of restriction endonuclease cleavage sites present on lambda b221proiCasnA DNA to those on its parent, lambda b221 rex::Tn10 suggests the steps involved in the formation of the transducing phage.

Chloramphenicol releases a block in initiation of chromosome replication in a dnaA strain of Escherichia coli K12

DNA-DNA hybridisation experiments show that chloramphenicol induces a burst of initiation from the oriC region of a dnaA46 mutant of Escherichia coli at 36.5 degrees C but not from the isogenic dnaA+ strain. Following this stimulation of initiation is in parallel with the induced stimulation of RNA synthesis caused by chloramphenicol in the same strain. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the stimulation of initiation in the dnaA mutant is the result of the stimulation of the synthesis of an RNA species.

Replication origin of the Escherichia coli K-12 chromosome: the size and structure of the minimum DNA segment carrying the information for autonomous replication

A DNA fragment containing the replication origin of the Eschericia coli K-12 chromosome was inserted in two correlations at either the BamHI or SalI site of pBR322 DNA. All the resulting hybrid plasmids were found to replicate in both polA and polA+ cells, whereas pBR322 replicates only in polA+ cells. This characteristic provided a method for assaying the autonomously replicating ability (Ori function of the E. coli origin. In order to define the minimum DNA region (ori) that determines Ori function, deletions of various sizes were introduced from either side of the ori-containing segment in the hybrid plasmids by in vitro techniques, and the correlation between the Ori phenotype and nucleotide sequence of the deletion derivatives was analyzed. It was found that the left end of ori is between positions 23 and 35, and the right end is either position 266 or 267 in our nucleotide coordinate (Sugimoto et al., 1979). Therefore, ori is present within a region of minimum 232 base pairs and maximum 245 base pairs in length. The Ori+ and Ori- phenotypes were clearly resolved at both sides of these boundaries by the above assay procedure. To obtain information about the effect of mutations in the internal region of the defined ori stretch, short sequences were inserted or deleted in vitro in the vicinity of several restriction sites within ori on the hybrid plasmids. Most of these plasmids carrying modified sequences showed Ori- phenotype, suggesting that most parts of the ori stretch play important roles in Ori function.

Inititation and termination of chromosome replication in Escherichia coli subjected to amino acid starvation

Initiation and termination of chromosome replication in an Escherichia coli auxotroph subjected to amino acid starvation were examined by following the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into the EcoRI restriction fragments of the chromosome. The pattern of incorporation observed upon restoration of the amino acid showed that starvation blocks the process of initiation prior to deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis within any significant portion of the EcoRI fragment which contains the origin of replication, oriC. In this experiment, no incorporation of [3H]thymidine into EcoRI fragments from the terminus of replication was observed, nor was it found when a dnaC initiation mutant was used to prevent incorporation at the origin which might have obscured labeling of terminus fragments. Thus amino acid starvation does not appear to block replication forks shortly before termination of replication. Attempted synchronization of replication initiation by including a period of thymine starvation subsequent to the amino acid starvation led to simultaneous incorporation of [3H]-thymidine into all EcoRI fragments within the 240-kilobase region that surrounds oriC. It is shown that the thymine starvation step allowed initiation and a variable, but limited, amount of replication to occur.

Some properties of the chloramphenicol resistance transposon Tn9

We have isolated variants of the plasmid RTF which have received the transposon Tn9 from bacteriophage P1Cm. We have shown by the formation of heteroduplex molecules between one RTF:Tn9 derivative and R100.1 that Tn9 is homologous to the r-determinant region of R100.1 which carries the determinants for chloramphenicol resistance. This suggests that Tn9 was derived from an r-det like structure by deletion, possibly mediated by one of the flanking IS1 elements. In spite of the similarity in structure between Tn9 and r-det however, we have demonstrated two distinct differences in the behavior of these two elements: 1) Tn9 but not r-det, is able to amplify, by a recA dependent mechanism, when cells harboring RTF::Tn9 are grown in the presence of chloramphenicol, and 2) Tn9, unlike r-det, does not form extrachromosomal circular molecules when RTF::Tn9 is tegrated into the bacterial chromosome.

Deoxyribonucleic acid and outer membrane: strains diploid for the oriC region show elevated levels of deoxyribonucleic acid-binding protein and evidence for specific binding of the oriC region to outer membrane

We have recently reported that part of the chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of Escherichia coli is associated with the outer membrane fraction and that an outer membrane protein having a molecular weight of 31,000 probably is involved in this association (H. Wolf-Watz and A. Norqvist, J. Bacteriol. 140:43-49, 1979). We have now found that F' merodiploid strains containing two copies of the DNA between bglB and ilv have increased levels of this protein and an increased amount of DNA in their outer membranes. Increased levels of the protein are also found when lambda asn phage, containing at 1.5-megadalton fragment of DNA located to the right of the uncA uncB genes but to the left of oriC, are induced. It therefore seems that this 1.5-megadalton fragment of DNA either codes for or binds to the 31,000-dalton outer membrane protein. Hybridization studies utilizing DNA found to be bound to outer membrane and DNA isolated from a specialized transducing phage lambda asn 132 revealed that at least 5 to 10% of outer membrane DNA has a DNA sequence homologous with a chromosomal segment carried by this oriC-containing phage.

Temperature dependent release of beta-beta' subunits of DNA dependent RNA polymerase from the folded chromosome of a dnaAts mutant of Escherichia coli

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase has been found to be preferentially released at 43 degrees C from the folded nucleoids of an E. coli dnaAts mutant when compared with the same nucleoids at 30 degrees C or with nucleoids of a dnaA+ strain at either 30 degrees or 43 degrees C. The polypeptides released are identical in molecular weight with those of the beta and beta' constituent polypeptides of the core enzyme of a known E. coli RNA polymerase. In addition, these polypeptides are precipitated by specific anti-RNA polymerase rabbit IgG. The implications of the interactions of RNA polymerase with the dnaA gene product are discussed.

The effects of an Escherichia coli dnaAts mutation on the replication of the plasmids colE1 pSC101, R100.1 and RTF-TC

The rate of replication of the plasmids colE1, pSC101, R100.1 and pAR132 (an RTF-TC derivative of the drug resistance factor R100.1) has been investigated directly by DNA:DNA hybridization. These rates have been compared, in a dnaAts strain, to that of various markers of the host chromosome at permissive and non-permissive temperatures. Chromosome initiation in the dnaAts strain stops rapidly after a shift to the non-permissive temperature, but plasmids R100.1 and pAR132 do not seem to be affected directly and continue replication for some time. The colE1 replication rate undergoes a large increase after the temperature shift, followed by a rapid decrease to a very low level 25 min after the shift. In contrast pSC101 replication stops immediately after the shift. ColE1 is able to replicate in an integratively suppressed dnaAts strain at 42 degrees C whereas pSC101 stops replication immediately under these conditions. We conclude that R100.1 and its derivative RTF-TC can replicate without a functional dnaA product; that colE1, while affected by a shift in temperature in a dnaAts strain, does not directly require dnaA; and that the plasmid pSC101 has an absolute requirement for dnaA. The absolute requirement of pSC101 for dnaA in the integratively suppressed Hfr strain provides a useful system for further investigation of the dnaA function.

Tn10 mediated integration of the plasmid R100.1 into the bacterial chromosome: inverse transposition

Upon integration into the bacterial chromosome the drug resistance plasmid R100.1 often loses its tetracycline resistance character. We have analyzed an Hfr strain formed by such an integration and an R-prime plasmid derived from it. We find that integration took place within the Tn10 transposon, that the two IS10 sequences were retained, but that at least 80% of the transposon segment located between them, and carrying the tetracycline resistance genes, had been lost. We suggest that integration of R100.1 was mediated by an inverse transposition using the IS10 sequences.

Mutations affecting the formation of acetohydroxy acid synthase II in Escherichia coli K-12

Genetic mapping experiments have established that two recently isolated valine-resistant mutants of the K-12 strain of Escherichia coli have lesions lying between ilvE and rbs. These lesions allowed expression of the ilvG gene, specifying the valine-insensitive acetohydroxy acid synthase (synthase II) and an increased expression of the ilvEDA operon. In this respect, they resembled an earlier described ilvO lesion that was reported to lie between ilvA and ilvC. All three lesions were cis-dominant in cis-trans tests. Reexamination of the earlier studied ilvO lesion revealed that it, too, lies between ilvE and rbs. Valine-sensitive derivatives with lesions presumed to be in ilvG were selected from each of the valine-resistant strains. In two of the valine-resistant strains, the ilvG mutations were on the rbs side of ilvO, indicating a gene order rbs-ilvG-ilvO-ilvE-ilvD-ilvA-ilvC. In one of the recently isolated valine-resistant stocks, however, the apparent ilvG mutation was found to be between ilvE and the aline resistance marker. This finding suggests that either ilvO and ilvG mutations are interspersed or there is another locus, ilvR, that behaves phenotypically like ilvO and which lies between ilvG and rbs.

Map location of the Escherichia coli origin of replication

Working with restriction fragments obtained directly from the Escherichia coli K12 chromosome, the EcoRI-HindIII restriction map of the section of the chromosome containing the replication origin has been extended by 14 kilobase pairs (kb) to cover 56 kb. Within this newly mapped portion, the ilv and rrnC cistrons have been identified by (1) hybridization of individual restriction fragmanents to the ilv-transducing phage lambdadilv5 and (2) a comparison of the restriction map of this region with the EcoRI map of lambda dilv5 and the Hind III map of the plasmid pJC110, a ColEl-ilv hybrid. The replication origin is located approximately 30 kb from the ilvE gene and 20 kb from the rrnC 16S rRNA cistron. This places the origin near 82.7 min on the genetic map, close to uncA.

Bacteriophage lambda carrying the Escherichia coli chromosomal region of the replication origin

A transducing phage lambdaasn was isolated. The late gene region of its genome was found to have been substituted by an Escherichia coli chromosomal segment containing the genes bgIR, bgIC, glmS, uncA, and asn. Restriction endonuclease cleavage mapping and electron microscopic analysis of the lambdaasn DNA revealed that the size of the bacterial segment is approximately 1.75 X 10(7) daltons, corresponding to about 26.4 kilobases. The circular DNA of lambdaasn was digested with restriction endonuclease EcoRI, diluted, and sealed with DNA ligase. When the reaction mixture was used to transform a recipient E. coli strain, a small plasmid of about 1 X 10(7) daltons (named pMCR115) was obtained. Restriction endonuclease cleavage mapping of pMCR115 and other evidence suggested that it contained the replication origin (oriC) of the E. coli chromosome.

Mini-chromosomes: plasmids which carry the E. coli replication origin

We have isolated plasmids by linking the 5.9 MD EcoRI fragment of E. coli that carries the origin of replication to an EcoRI fragment that carries an amplicillin resistance determinant, but lacks an origin of replication. 3 plasmids of this type, pOC1, pOC2, and pOC3, are described in detail in this report. Although the plasmids have some adverse effect on the growth properties of the host strain, their existence shows that two functioning chromosomal origins can coexist in one cell. Deletions generated from this type of plasmids allow an allocation of the origin of replication of E. coli within a DNA segment less than 0.4 MD in size.

Analogs of the dnaB gene of Escherichia coli K-12 associated with conjugative R plasmids

The dnaB266(Am) mutation in Escherichia coli K-12 is an amber mutation such that strains carrying this mutation are not viable in a sup+ strain. With five different R plasmids, it has been possible to construct viable R+ derivatives of this amber mutant and show that the plasmids themselves do not carry amber suppressors. This is interpreted as evidence for the presence of dnaB analog genes associated with these plasmids. Plasmid-positive strains carrying these genes often showed some degree of cryosensitivity of DNA synthesis and colony-forming ability. These observations indicate that the presence of dnaB analog genes in association with R plasmids must be relevant to the plasmid state or to some aspect of conjugative ability.

Chromosome replication in an Escherichia coli dnaA mutant integratively suppressed by prophage P2

Escherichia coli CRT4624-P2sig5 is a dnaA mutant in which integration of the prophage P2sig5 has occurred at the attP2II site (min 85). This strain was integratively suppressed, and when cells were shifted to 42 degrees C replication was initiated at a site in or near the P2 prophage. Initially, this replication occurred primarily in the direction that corresponds to the clockwise direction on the genetic map. Replication also occurred in the counterclockwise direction, but the initiation of replication in this direction occurred approximately 40 min later than the initiation of replication in the other direction. Because of this delay, the replication forks that traveled in the clockwise direction were the first to arrive in the region of the replication terminus. These replication forks ceased replication near the aroD locus (min 37), and it is proposed that the replication terminus is between the aroD and rac loci (min 31). A model is proposed for the cycle of chromosome replication in this strain at 42 degrees C.

A cold sensitive dnaA mutant of E. coli which overinitiates chromosome replication at low temperature

A heat resistant mutant of E. coli dnaAts46 was isolated, which grows normally only at temperatures above 39 degrees. After a temperature shift from 42 degrees to 32 degrees the mutant overproduces DNA relative to protein. This is due to overinitiation of rounds of chromosome replication at low temperature, as indicated by hybridization and other experiments. The mutation is cotransduced by PI with ilv and could not be separated from dnaAts46 by transduction.

Map position of the replication origin on the E. coli chromosome

Strains carrying a dnaA temperature sensitive (t.s.) mutation and a Mu-1 prophage inserted within different genes near the origin of replication have been constructed. For each strain, integratively suppressed Hfrs, named G and D in which the ori region was replicated clockwise and counterclockwise respectively, were isolated. The strand preferences of Mu-1 specific Okazaki fragments were subsequently determined for each t.s. strain and its Hfr derivatives. Their comparison led us to establish the direction of replication of the Mu-1 marker from ori. The site ori was confined to the bglB-C--rbsK-P interval.

Identification of a biochemically unique DNA-membrane interaction involving the Escherichia coli origin of replication

DNA-membrane complexes have been obtained from Escherichia coli by using a freeze-thaw lysis procedure that avoids lysozyme and detergents. Complexes made in this manner and containing DNA near the origin of replication are uniquely sensitive to ionic strength, Pronase, and trypsin. There is approximately one such complex per chromosomal origin. The sensitivities suggest that origin-specific binding is mediated by a protein. By using these unique characteristics to distinguish origin-specific complexes from the majority of DNA-membrane binding sites, it was found that the origin-specific binding persists after termination of chromosomal replication.

dnaA acts before dnaC in the initiation of DNA replication

We constructed a double mutant of Escherichia coli K-12 carrying dnaA(Ts) and dnaC(Cs) lesions. In this mutant DNA synthesis proeceeds normally at 32 degrees C and initiation is inhibited at both 41 and 20 degrees C. By shifting this culture grown at 32 degrees C to the two restrictive temperatures in different time sequences and assaying protein and DNA synthesis of cells growing at different temperatures, we found that dnaA and dnaC genes work independently with dnaA acting before dnaC. While preparing special strains for this work, we also showed that the order of genes in the neighborhood of dnaA is dnaA-tnaA-phoS-ilv.

Origin of replication, oriC, of the Escherichia coli chromosome: mapping of genes relative to R.EcoRI cleavage sites in the oriC region

A precise genetic-physical map of the tna-ilv region at 82 min on the genetic map of E. coli is obtained through deletion mapping and analysis by restriction endonuclease EcoRI of plasmids, derived from an F' carrying the genes between aroE and ilv. A locus, designated het, which in its diploid state results in slow growth and heterogeneity of cell size due to distorted cell division, maps between bglB and asn, 30-45 kb counterclockwise of ilv. The pattern of R.EcoRI cleavage sites in the het region is identical with the pattern obtained by Marsh and Worcel (1977) who analyzed DNA labeled preferentially in the region of the DNA replication origin (oriC). We suggest that oriC is identical with the het site and that it can be allocated to a position 32 kb counterclockwise of the ilv operon.

Cloning and mapping of the replication origin of Escherichia coli

The replication origin of Escherichia coli has been cloned on a nonreplicating DNA fragment coding for ampicillin resistance. This recombinant DNA, named pSY211, replicates depending on the presence of the replication origin and can be recovered as a closed circular plasmid DNA of 10.7 megadaltons (Mdal). A restriction map has been constructed. EcoRI cleaves pSY211 into two fragments: one is the ampicillin fragment of 4.5 Mdal and the other is a chromosomal fragment of 6 Mdal and contains the origin. The 6 Mdal EcoRI fragment has four BamHI sites, three HindIII sites, and one Xho I site. A mutant of pSY211 has been isolated which is lacking two BamHI fragments of the chromosomal fragment. In recA hosts, pSY211 is lost at a high frequency. In recA+ hosts, pSY211 is integrated into the chromosome due to nucleotide sequence homology between pSY211 and the replication origin of the E. coli chromosome. The integration site has been mapped. We conclude that the replication origin is located at a site between uncA and rbsK, at about 83 min on the genetic map of E. coli.

Origin and direction of replication of the drug resistance plasmid R100.1 and of a resistance transfer factor derivative in synchronized cultures

The origin and direction of replication of the resistance plasmid R100.1 and its resistance transfer factor derivative, pAR132, were studied by electron microscopy autoradiography of partially denatured molecules and partial denaturation mapping of replicative intermediates. Results of these studies indicate the existence of an origin of replication at 8.8 kilobases on the R100 map. Replication from this origin in cultures synchronized for initiation of replication is predominantly unidirectional in a single direction.

Suppression of an Escherichia coli dnaA mutation by the integrated R factor R100.1: origin of chromosome replication during exponential growth

We have investigated the behavior, during exponential growth, of strains of Escherichia coli carrying a dnaA(Ts) mutation that has been suppressed by the integration of the F-like R plasmid R100.1. We present evidence showing that replication in these strains proceeds largely from the normal chromosome origin at 30 degrees C, a permissive temperature for the dnaA(Ts) gene product, whereas, at 42 degrees C, replication proceeds largely from the integrated plasmid. These conclusions are based on measurements made by deoxyribonucleic acid:deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization of the relative frequencies of the prophages Mu-1 and lambdaind- and R100.1 integrated at known locations on the E. coli chromosome in these Hfr strains.

A DNA fragment containing the origin of replication of the Escherichia coli chromosome

A 38 kilobase pair region of the Escherichia coli K12 chromosome containing the replication origin has been physically mapped with restriction endonucleases EcoRI and HindIII. Replication starts within or very near a 1.3 kilobase pair HindIII fragment in the middle of this region and proceeds outward in both directions with apparently equal speed. This pattern was observed in both dnaA and dnaC temperature-sensitive (ts) initiation mutants at the start of the synchronous round of replication which occurs after downshift from the nonpermissive to the permissive temperature.

Involvement of IS1 in the dissociation of the r-determinant and RTF components of the plasmid R100.1

The formation of the r-determinant pLC1 and of the RTF pAR132 from the composite plasmid R100.1 was investigated. The general location of IS1 sequences on the three plasmids was established by hybridization of lambdar14 CII::IS1 DNA to EcoRI generated fragments of the various plasmids separated by agarose gel electrophoresis and transferred directly to nitrocellulose filters. The position of IS1 sequences on these fragments and the homologies between fragments were analyzed by electron microscopy of heteroduplex molecules. The results show that the excision of both pLC1 and pAR132 occurred by an exchange between the two IS1 sequences present on R100.1.

Trans-dominance of dnaA mutants in Escherichia coli

Temperature sensitivity of growth and DNA synthesis was tested in merogenotes heterozygous for the dnaA allele. All combinations tested (F dnaA+/dnaA5, F dnaA+/dnaA46, F dnaA+/dnaA204, F dnaA5/dnaA+, F dnaA204/dnaA+) were temperature sensitive. The mutant dnaA allele is thus trans-dominant to the wild type allele.

Replication of prophage P1 during the cell cycle of Escherichia coli

We have followed, by DNA-DNA hybridization, the variation in the number of copies of prophage P1 relative to two chromosomal markers when the doubling time of the host cells is modified by a change in carbon source. The ratio of P1/chromosome terminus undergoes a twofold decrease when the cell doubling time increases from 24 to 215 min, whereas the ratio of P1/chromosome origin increases 1.4 fold; both ratios tend towards unity at slow growth rates. This suggests that the replication of prophage P1 is not simultaneous with chromosome initiation or chromosome termination. The chromosome replication time is unaffected by the presence of P1, and remains constant over the range of doubling times studied, with a value of about 4o min. Following amino acid starvation, the P1/chromosome origin ratio increases from 0.7 to 0.9, suggesting that P1 retains the ability to replicate after chromosome initiation has stopped and in the absence of essential amino acids. The results are discussed with reference to similar studies done on F and R1.

Biphasic pattern of activation of the reticuloendothelial system by anaerobic coryneforms in mice

Macrophage activation as measured by increased rates of clearance of carbon was explored in five inbred and two outbred strains of mice pretreated with anaerobic coryneform bacilli. Constant differences were found according to strain from DBA (lowest response) to Sha-Sha (highest response). The investigation was continued with mice of CBA strain which also provided highly reproducible and high-level responses. In this strain activation occurred in two phases: an early activation which reached maximum levels at 2 days and attributable to a lipid component of the bacteria, and a late phase reaching maximum at 14 days which appeared to coincide with greatly increased weight of the liver and spleen, due to infiltration by mononuclear cells. Evidence is provided that the early phase of macrophage activation is due to a lipid extract from the anaerobic coryneforms with chemotactic activity.

Constitutive and repressivle enzymes of the common pathway of aromatic biosynthesis in Escherichia coli K-12: regulation of enzyme synthesis at different growth rates

Synthesis of five of the enzymes of the common pathway of aromatic biosynthesis has been shown to be unaffected by either the aromatic amino acids--the product of the first reaction (3-deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonic acid-7-phosphate) or the product of the last reaction (chorismate)--or by the state of regulator gene loci tyrR. On the other hand, the rate of synthesis of these enzymes, and of several other enzymes for which repression control was inactive because of mutations in relevant regulator genes, was found to change with growth rate. These changes were found to correlate at faster growth rates than those observed in glucose minimal medium with the alterations in the relative frequencies of the corresponding structural genes which occur at these growth rates. It was found that when wild-type cells were grown at these faster growth rates in medium lacking the aromatic amino acids, complete derepression of the tyrosine-inhibitable 3-deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonic acid-7-phosphate synthetase occurred, in strong contrast to the situation when wild-type cells are grown in glucose minimal medium.

Suppression of an Escherichia coli dnaA mutation by the integrated R factor R.100.1: Change of chromosome replication origin in synchronized cultures

We have followed, by deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization, the order of replication of three chromosomal markers during a synchronous round of replication in three strains of Escherichia coli carrying a dnaAts mutation: one strain in which the F-like R factor R.100.1 was established as a plasmid and two strains in which the dnaA mutation was suppressed by the integration of R.100.1 into the chromosome. In the R+ strain at 30C, replication of the plasmid took place simultaneously with the initiation of chromosome replication at the normal origin. In the integratively suppressed Hfr strains, at 42.5 C, chromosome replication was initiated preferentially from the integrated plasmid; little or no initiation occurred at the normal origin. Similar results were obtained for the one strain tested at 30 C. For both Hfr strains at 42.5 C, the data suggest that at least part of the population replicated bidirectionally. This conclusion had been confirmed using an autoradiographic procedure. Both types of experiment indicate a wide variation in the rate of travel of individual replication forks within the population.