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Broad‐host‐range plasmid replication: an open question
Author(s) -
del Solar Gloria,
Alonso Juan C.,
Espinosa Manuel,
DíazOrejas Ramón
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1996.6611376.x
Subject(s) - replicon , plasmid , biology , genetics , origin of replication , host (biology) , replication (statistics) , t dna binary system , gene , virology , vector (molecular biology) , recombinant dna
Many factors can influence the ability of plasmids to colonize different hosts, efficient replication probably being the most critical one. Two major strategies seem to facilitate promiscuous plasmid replication: (i) initiation independent of host initiation factors; and (ii) versatile communication between plasmid and host initiation factors. Appropriate communication between a replicon and the different hosts, which becomes crucial at the initation of plasmid replication, plays a major role in plasmid promiscuity. Fused replicons or mechanisms that rescue collapsed replication forks may increase the efficiency of plasmid propagation. However, their contribution to plasmid promiscuous replication remains to be fully evaluated. Several examples of host‐specific adaptation of promiscuous plasmids point to an enormous flexibility of these replicons.