title: Analysis of the 7.6-kb cryptic plasmid pNC500 from Rhodococcus rhodochrous B-276 and construction of Rhodococcus-E. coli shuttle vector.
abstract: Four circular cryptic plasmids were detected from propene-degrading Rhodococcus rhodochrous (formerly Nocardia corallina) B-276 and the smallest 7.6-kb plasmid, named pNC500 was used to construct Rhodococcus-E. coli shuttle vector, pNC5403. Sequence analysis of pNC500 revealed that the plasmid contains eight potential ORFs, namely 1 through 8. The deduced amino acid sequences for ORFs 3, 4, 6, and 7 show homology with those of Rep A, Rep B, DNA methyl-transferase (M.XamI), and restriction nuclease (R.XamI), respectively. The region responsible for replication in the potent oil-desulfurization bacterium, Rhodococcus opacus T09 was determined as 3.7 kb-XbaI/BalI fragment which contains ORFs 3 and 4, while no transformants were obtained when ORF 4 was partially deleted, suggesting that both are required for its replication. Alignment of the predicted amino acid sequences revealed that ORFs 3 and 4 were DNA binding protein and DNA primase, respectively. A compatibility test with pAL5000-related plasmid vector, pRHK1, which contains pRC4, revealed that pNC5403 was compatible with pRHK1 suggesting that each replication origin would be different. ORFs 3 and 4 containing a pNC5403 derivative, pN5DXB, was stably maintained for over 80 generations in the absence of antibiotic selective conditions.
authors.affiliation: Center of Molecular Biosciences, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Sembaru Nishihara-cho, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan. tmatsui@comb.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinzato
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuda
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D004261:DNA Replication; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins