Identification and characterization of an active plasmid partition mechanism for the novel Lactococcus lactis plasmid pCI2000.

ABSTRACT: The replication region of the lactococcal plasmid pCI2000 was subcloned and analyzed. The nucleotide sequence of one 5.6-kb EcoRI fragment which was capable of supporting replication when cloned on a replication probe vector revealed the presence of seven putative open reading frames (ORFs). One ORF exhibited significant homology to several replication proteins from plasmids considered to replicate via a theta mode. Deletion analysis showed that this ORF, designated repA, is indeed required for replication. The results also suggest that the origin of replication is located outside repA. Upstream and divergently transcribed from repA, an ORF that showed significant (48 to 64%) homology to a number of proteins that are required for faithful segregation of chromosomal or plasmid DNA of gram-n

SUBMITTER: Kearney K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC94236 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature