title: Sequence analysis of a 101-kilobase plasmid required for agar degradation by a Microscilla isolate.
abstract: An agar-degrading marine bacterium identified as a Microscilla species was isolated from coastal California marine sediment. This organism harbored a single 101-kb circular DNA plasmid designated pSD15. The complete nucleotide sequence of pSD15 was obtained, and sequence analysis indicated a number of genes putatively encoding a variety of enzymes involved in polysaccharide utilization. The most striking feature was the occurrence of five putative agarase genes. Loss of the plasmid, which occurred at a surprisingly high frequency, was associated with loss of agarase activity, supporting the sequence analysis results.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology and Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0322, USA.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toukdarian
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Helinski
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Knauf
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sykes
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Bryne
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DeLoughery
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caspi
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar / Q000378:metabolism*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004261:DNA Replication; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011134:Polysaccharides; D000362:Agar; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C019624:agarase