Diversity and linkage of replication and mobilisation genes in Bacillus rolling circle-replicating plasmids from diverse geographical origins

Abstract

The prevalence, diversity and linkage of pTA-related plasmid rep and mob genes in 18 plasmids from three closely related species of Bacillus from diverse geographical locations have been investigated using PCR. pTA-related rep and mob sequences were both amplified from 13 of the 18 plasmids. For one plasmid, pBM9, only a pTA-related mob gene was amplified, whilst only a pTA-related rep gene was amplified from the Bacillus licheniformis plasmid pBL2. No products were amplified for either gene from two other B. licheniformis plasmids or from a larger 16-kb Bacillus subtilis plasmid, pBS6. Whilst simple gene detection suggests close linkage of both pTA-related rep and mob genes, on most of these plasmids, sequence analysis of amplified genes revealed more complex linkage relationships varying with geographical origin, plasmid size and bacterial host.

Prevalence and distribution of nucleotide sequences typical for pMEA-like accessory genetic elements in the genus Amycolatopsis

“…The repAM fragment used in this study may encode a more variable region of RepAM. A similar higher diversity in Rep sequences was observed in the study of the pTA‐type replication and mobilization genes of Bacillus plasmids (Mason et al ., 2002).…”

“…However, differences in their 16S rRNA gene sequences clearly show that this is not the case. A similar observation was made for the highly conserved Rep and Mob protein sequences on the pTA‐like plasmids of Bacillus strains that were isolated from diverse geographical locations (Mason et al ., 2002).…”