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Genetic analysis of bacterial plasmid promiscuity

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The genetic basis of the promiscuous behaviour of bacterial plasmids has been investigated by study of the incompatibility P-1 group of conjugative plasmids of gram-negative bacteria. Both transposon mutagenesis and the construction of minireplicons linking varying combinations of the plasmid genome have shown that specific genomic regions control the conjugational transfer and vegetative replication of the plasmid in specific bacterial hosts. These include the plasmid DNA primase gene, the origin of plasmid transfer, a region near the origin of transfer, the origin of plasmid vegetative replication, thetrans- acting gene essential for the initiation of plasmid replication and a region involved in its regulation. DNA sequence analysis has identified the requirement of specific direct repeats within the origin of replication for plasmid replication in some but not in other hosts. The cloning of some of the trans-acting genes onto multicopy cloning vectors and complementation tests have shown that the requirements of these gene products vary in different hosts and that the plasmid has evolved genetic strategies for their optimal expression.

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  1. Department of Genetics, Monash University, 3168, Clayton, Australia

    Viji Krishnapillai

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  1. Viji Krishnapillai
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Krishnapillai, V. Genetic analysis of bacterial plasmid promiscuity. J. Genet. 65, 103–120 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02923539

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