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. 1991 Jul;173(13):3935–3942. doi: 10.1128/jb.173.13.3935-3942.1991

Critical sequences in the core of the P1 plasmid replication origin.

T Brendler 1, A Abeles 1, S Austin 1
PMCID: PMC208038  PMID: 2061278

Abstract

The core of the P1 plasmid replication origin consists of a series of 7-bp repeats and a G+C-rich stretch. Methylation of the GATC sequences in the repeats is essential. Forty different single-base mutations in the region were isolated and assayed for origin function. A single-base change within any 7-bp repeat could block the origin, irrespective of whether GATC bases were affected. The repeats themselves were critical, but the short intervals between them were not. Mutations in the G+C-rich region showed it to be a spacer whose exact length is important but whose sequence can vary considerably. It maintains a precise distance between the 7-bp repeats and binding sites for the P1 RepA initiator protein. It may also serve as a clamp to limit strand separation during initiation.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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