Characterization of a rolling-circle replication plasmid from Thermus aquaticus NTU103

The thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus NTU103 harbors a 1,965-bp plasmid, pTA103. Sequencing analysis revealed that pTA103 contains two open reading frames. One of the open reading frames (orf2) shares no significant homology with protein in the data bank. The other one has 50% similarity and 34% identity with RepA-like protein of pRm1132f, which is a rolling-circle replication (RCR) plasmid isolated from Sinorhizobium meliloti. S1 nuclease analysis demonstrated that pTA103 contains a single-stranded intermediate, confirming that pTA103 replicates via RCR mechanism. Sequence data also revealed putative double-stranded origin and single-stranded origin sites, indicating the importance of these cis elements in pTA103 replication.