Nucleotide sequence and expression of the beta-lactamase gene from Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 in Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus.

The structural gene for beta-lactamase in the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 was cloned into a Staphylococcus aureus-Bacillus subtilis-Escherichia coli shuttle vector, pWN101, and the nucleotide sequence of the gene was determined. pWN101 was structurally stable and the beta-lactamase gene was expressed efficiently from its native promoter and ribosome-binding site in all three hosts.