title: Stability of r-microbes: stabilization of plasmid vectors by the partitioning function of broad-host-range plasmid RP4.
abstract: The genes for biosynthesis of the biodegradable polymer poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) cloned from Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 were used for synthesis of PHB with recombinant Escherichia coli strains. It was recognized that the PHB-biosynthesis genes cause segregational instability to the plasmids used as vectors. Recombinant PHB-plasmids are rapidly lost from host cells and plasmid-free cells occur at high rates, even under conditions of selection for the plasmids. Cloning the partitioning region of plasmid RP4 onto such plasmids resulted in a high degree of stabilization. These par-stabilized recombinant PHB-plasmids could be maintained quite efficiently in batch cultivation experiments in the absence of any selection pressure.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biotechnologie, Technische Universität Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haigermoser
authors.forename: G Q
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grohmann
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hrabak
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwab
mesh_terms: D000421:Alcaligenes / Q000235:genetics; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates / Q000378:metabolism*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000378:metabolism*; D011815:R Factors; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
chemical_list: D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D011091:Polyesters; C003182:poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates