Characterization of the mobilization determinants of pAN12, a small replicon from Rhodococcus erythropolis AN12.
Bacteria belonging to the Gram-positive actinomycete species, Rhodococcus erythropolis, are diverse not only in terms of metabolic potentials but the plasmids they encode. It was shown previously that the R. erythropolis AN12 genome harbors a 6.3kb cryptic plasmid called pAN12, which is a member of the pIJ101 family of plasmids. Here we show that pAN12 is conjugatively mobilizable into other rhodococcal strains. A series of plasmid deletion constructs were tested for loss of mobility to identify the pAN12 cis-acting conjugation requirement. In this way, an approximately 700bp region was found to be required for plasmid transmission. A small 61bp element within this region confers mobility to an otherwise non-mobilizable plasmid. Unlike pIJ101, which encodes all necessary factors for transfer, pAN12 mobility is dependent on the presence of an AN12 megaplasmid, pREA400.
Yang
Joyce C
JC
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Lessard
Philip A
PA
Sinskey
Anthony J
AJ
D001483:Base Sequence; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D012093:Replicon; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000235:genetics*