Genetic mapping of the chromosomal replication origin of Salmonella typhimurium

Mechanisms essential for stable inheritance of mini-F plasmid

The F plasmid has its own partition mechanism and ccd mechanism (coupled cell division), besides its own replication mechanism, in order to be stably inherited into daughter cells through cell division. These 3 mechanisms are independent of one another. Therefore, when a DNA segment essential and sufficient for a mechanism is jointed to other heterologous plasmids, the segment is also functional. Most of natural low copy number plasmids might also have their own replication, partition, and ccd mechanisms. These 3 mechanisms may be fundamental to ensure stable inheritance for low copy-number replicons in prokaryotes.

Structural analysis of the dnaA and dnaN genes of Escherichia coli

The nucleotide sequence of the entire region containing the Escherichia coli dnaA and dnaN genes was determined. Base substitutions by such mutations as dnaA46, dnaA167, dnaN59, and dnaN806 were also identified. Analyses of coding frames, the mutational base substitutions, and other data indicate that dnaN follows dnaA, both have the same orientation, and are separated by only 4 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence specifies Mrs and isoelectric points consistent with those of the previously identified gene products. The transcriptional initiation site of the dnaA gene was assigned by analysis of in vitro RNA products. Examination of the intercistronic sequence and analysis of in vitro transcription supported the notion that the dnaA and dnaN genes constitute a single operon.

recA-dependent recombination between rRNA operons generates type II F' plasmids

The formation of type II F' ilv cya metE plasmids from the Salmonella typhimurium Hfr strain SA722 occurs by general recombination between repeated rrn.

Copy-number mutants of the plasmid carrying the replication origin of the Escherichia coli chromosome: evidence for a control region of replication

A composite plasmid (pXX11) was constructed by joining of an oriC plasmid (pMCR115) carrying the replication origin (oriC) of the Escherichia coli chromosome and a mini-F plasmid (pSC138) carrying the ampicillin-resistance gene (bla). Plasmid pXX11 can replicate, by using oriC, in Hfr cells and mafA mutant cells that cannot support replication of an F plasmid. This plasmid is stably maintained in these host cells during cell growth even under nonselective conditions by use of the partition mechanism of the mini-F genome. In contrast to other oriC plasmids reported previously, pXX11 has no detectable effect on host cell growth. Higher copy-number (Cop-) mutants of pXX11 were isolated, and some of them were found to carry an insertion or deletion within a region derived from the E. coli chromosome. This region, designated cop (copy number), covers about 0.7 kilobase pair and is located approximately 3 kilobase pairs away from the oriC region at the side opposite the asn gene. Evidence suggests that the normal cop region locted on the oriC plasmid acts to reduce the copy number of the plasmid. Plasmid pXX11 complements the uncB402 mutation located on the host chromosome, but some of the Cop- plasmids do not, suggesting that the cop region is vey closely linked to uncB.

Conditionally lethal amber mutations in the dnaA region of the Escherichia coli chromosome that affect chromosome replication

Three amber mutations, dna-801, dna-803, and dna-806, were isolated by localized mutagenesis of the dnaA-oriC region of the chromosome from an Escherichia coli strain carrying temperature-sensitive amber suppressors. When the mutations were not suppressed at 42 degrees C, the cells did not grow and DNA synthesis was arrested. They were very closely linked to each other and to the dnaA46 mutation. The mutant phenotype of each strain was converted to the wild type by infecting the mutants with specialized transducing phase lambda i21 dnaA-2 but not with lambda i21 tna. Derivatives of lambda i21 dnaA-2, each of which carried the amber mutation dna-801 dna-803, or dna-806, converted the dnaA mutant phenotype to Dna+ but did not convert rhe amber mutants to the wild-type phenotype. E. coli uvrB cells were irradiated with ultraviolet light and infected with each of these phage strains. An analysis of proteins synthesized in the cells revealed that two proteins with molecular weights of 50,000 and 43,000 were specified by lambda i21 dnaA-2 but not by lambda i21 tna. When the ultraviolet-irradiated cells did not carry an amber suppressor, the derivative phage with the amber mutation invariably failed to produce the 43,000-dalton protein, but when the host cell carried supF (tyrT), the protein was produced. The 50,000-dalton protein was unaffected.