The replication initiator operon of promiscuous plasmid RK2 encodes a gene that complements an Escherichia coli mutant defective in single-stranded DNA-binding protein. |
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Authors: | O S Jovanovic E K Ayres D H Figurski |
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Affiliation: | Department of Microbiology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032. |
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Abstract: | The amino acid sequence of the 13-kDa polypeptide (P116) encoded by the first gene of the trfA operon of IncP plasmid RK2 shows significant similarity to several known single-stranded DNA-binding proteins. We found that unregulated expression of this gene from its natural promoter (trfAp) or induced expression from a strong heterologous promoter (trcp) was sufficient to complement the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype of an Escherichia coli ssb-1 mutant. The RK2 ssb gene is the first example of a plasmid single-stranded DNA-binding protein-encoding gene that is coregulated with replication functions, indicating a possible role in plasmid replication. |
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