title: Oligomerization-mediated activation of plasmid-borne genes in Escherichia coli.
abstract: A plasmid carrying a weakly expressed neomycin phosphotransferase (neo) gene from the transposable element Tn5 was found to confer elevated levels of antibiotic resistance on its host cell when it existed in a non-monomeric state. This activation of the neo gene appeared to be a generalized effect which can be exerted on any plasmid-encoded gene, since specific sequences were not required for enhanced neo expression, and the activity of a plasmid-borne chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene could be similarly induced by oligomerization. The potential role that multiple origins of replication present in such oligomeric plasmids play in these observed increases in gene expression is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey 17033.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D019868:Kanamycin Kinase; D010770:Phosphotransferases / Q000235:genetics; D010957:Plasmids; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D010770:Phosphotransferases; D019868:Kanamycin Kinase