Open AccessA mutation that decreases the efficiency of plasmid R1 replication leads to the activation of parD , a killer stability system of the plasmid
Author(s) -
RuizEchevarría Maria Jesús,
La Torre Maria Angeles,
DíazOrejas Ramón
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07709.x
Subject(s) - derepression , plasmid , operon , biology , mutation , genetics , mutant , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , psychological repression
The silent parD ( kis/kid ) stability operon of plasmid R1 is normally repressed by the co‐ordinated action of the Kis and Kid proteins. In this report it is shown that a mutation in repA , the gene of the plasmid replication protein, that reduces two‐fold the copy number of the plasmid, leads to the derepression of the parD system. This derepression can be prevented by a suppressor mutation in copB, a copy number control gene of plasmid R1, that increases the efficiency of replication of the repA mutant. Derepression of the wild‐type parD system leads to high plasmid stability. These data show the activation of a plasmid stability operon by a mutation that reduces the efficiency of wild‐type plasmid replication.