Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1976 Aug;127(2):881–889. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.2.881-889.1976

Nonintegrated plasmid-chromosome complexes in Escherichia coli.

B C Kline, J R Miller, D E Cress, M Wlodarczyk, J J Manis, M R Otten
PMCID: PMC232997  PMID: 783119

Abstract

A number of plasmid systems have been examined for the ability of their covalently closed circular deoxyribonucleic acid (CCC DNA) forms to cosediment in neutral sucrose gradients with the folded chromosomes of their respective hosts. Given that cosedimentation of CCC plasmid and chromosomal DNA represents a bound or complexed state between these replicons, our results can be expressed as follows. (i) All plasmid systems complex, on the average, at least one plasmid per chromosomal equivalent. (ii) Stringently controlled plasmids exist predominantly in the bound state, whereas the opposite is true for plasmids that exist in multiple copies or are under relaxed control of replication. (iii) The degree to which a plasmid population binds to host chromosomes appears to be a function of plasmid genotype and not of plasmid size. (iv) For the colicin E1 plasmid the absolute number of plasmids bound per folded chromosome equivalent does increase as the intracellular plasmid/chromosome ratio increases in cells starved for required amino acids or in cells treated with chloramphenicol; however, the ratio of bound to free plasmids remains constant during plasmid copy number amplification.

Full text

PDF
881

Selected References

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

  1. Bachmann B. J., Low K. B., Taylor A. L. Recalibrated linkage map of Escherichia coli K-12. Bacteriol Rev. 1976 Mar;40(1):116–167. doi: 10.1128/br.40.1.116-167.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bachmann B. J. Pedigrees of some mutant strains of Escherichia coli K-12. Bacteriol Rev. 1972 Dec;36(4):525–557. doi: 10.1128/br.36.4.525-557.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bazaral M., Helinski D. R. Circular DNA forms of colicinogenic factors E1, E2 and E3 from Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1968 Sep 14;36(2):185–194. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90374-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clewell D. B. Nature of Col E 1 plasmid replication in Escherichia coli in the presence of the chloramphenicol. J Bacteriol. 1972 May;110(2):667–676. doi: 10.1128/jb.110.2.667-676.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clowes R. C. Molecular structure of bacterial plasmids. Bacteriol Rev. 1972 Sep;36(3):361–405. doi: 10.1128/br.36.3.361-405.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cohen S. N., Chang A. C. Recircularization and autonomous replication of a sheared R-factor DNA segment in Escherichia coli transformants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 May;70(5):1293–1297. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.5.1293. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cress D. E., Kline B. C. Isolation and characterization of Escherichia coli chromosomal mutants affecting plasmid copy number. J Bacteriol. 1976 Feb;125(2):635–642. doi: 10.1128/jb.125.2.635-642.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Delius H., Worcel A. Electron microscopic studies on the folded chromosome of Escherichia coli. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1974;38:53–58. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1974.038.01.008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Durkacz B. W., Sherratt D. J. Segregation kinetics of colicinogenic factor col E1 from a bacterial population temperature sensitive for DNA polymerase I. Mol Gen Genet. 1973;121(1):71–75. doi: 10.1007/BF00353694. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Frame R., Bishop J. O. The number of sex-factors per chromosome in Escherichia coli. Biochem J. 1971 Jan;121(1):93–103. doi: 10.1042/bj1210093. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hohn B., Korn D. Cosegregation of a sex factor with the Escherichia coli chromosome during curing by acridine orange. J Mol Biol. 1969 Oct 28;45(2):385–395. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(69)90113-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Inselburg J. R factor deoxyribonucleic acid in chromosomeless progeny of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1971 Feb;105(2):620–628. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.2.620-628.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Inselburg J. Segregation into and replication of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid in chromosomeless segregants of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1970 Jun;102(3):642–647. doi: 10.1128/jb.102.3.642-647.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kass L. R., Yarmolinsky M. B. Segregation of functional sex factor into minicells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1970 Jul;66(3):815–822. doi: 10.1073/pnas.66.3.815. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kingsbury D. T., Helinski D. R. DNA polymerase as a requirement for the maintenance of the bacterial plasmid colicinogenic factor E1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1970 Dec 24;41(6):1538–1544. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(70)90562-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kline B. C., Miller J. R. Detection of nonintegrated plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid in the folded chromosome of Escherichia coli: physiochemical approach to studying the unit of segregation. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jan;121(1):165–172. doi: 10.1128/jb.121.1.165-172.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kontomichalou P., Mitani M., Clowes R. C. Circular R-factor molecules controlling penicillinase synthesis, replicating in Escherichia coli under either relaxed or stringent control. J Bacteriol. 1970 Oct;104(1):34–44. doi: 10.1128/jb.104.1.34-44.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kool A. J., Pranger M., Nijkamp H. J. Proteins synthesized by a non-induced bacteriocinogenic factor in minicells of Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1972;115(4):314–323. doi: 10.1007/BF00333170. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Levy S. B. The problems of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. Studies on R factors segregated into E. coli minicells. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1971 Jun 11;182:217–225. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1971.tb30658.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Macrina F. L., Weatherly G. G., Curtiss R., 3rd R6K plasmid replication: influence of chromosomal genotype in minicell-producing strains of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1974 Dec;120(3):1387–1400. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.3.1387-1400.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Manis J. J., Miller J. R., Kline B. C. Partial characterization of nucleoids and nucleoid-plasmid complexes from Salmonella typhimurium. J Bacteriol. 1976 Jul;127(1):664–666. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.1.664-666.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Morris C. F., Hashimoto H., Mickel S., Rownd R. Round of replication mutant of a drug resistance factor. J Bacteriol. 1974 Jun;118(3):855–866. doi: 10.1128/jb.118.3.855-866.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Novick R. P., Clowes R. C., Cohen S. N., Curtiss R., 3rd, Datta N., Falkow S. Uniform nomenclature for bacterial plasmids: a proposal. Bacteriol Rev. 1976 Mar;40(1):168–189. doi: 10.1128/br.40.1.168-189.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pettijohn D. E., Hecht R. RNA molecules bound to the folded bacterial genome stabilize DNA folds and segregate domains of supercoiling. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1974;38:31–41. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1974.038.01.006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Radloff R., Bauer W., Vinograd J. A dye-buoyant-density method for the detection and isolation of closed circular duplex DNA: the closed circular DNA in HeLa cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 May;57(5):1514–1521. doi: 10.1073/pnas.57.5.1514. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rosner J. L. Formation, induction, and curing of bacteriophage P1 lysogens. Virology. 1972 Jun;48(3):679–689. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(72)90152-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Ryder O. A., Smith D. W. Isolation of membrane-associated folded chromosomes from Escherichia coli: effect of protein synthesis inhibition. J Bacteriol. 1974 Dec;120(3):1356–1363. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.3.1356-1363.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Signer E. R. Plasmid formation: a new mode of lysogeny by phase lambda. Nature. 1969 Jul 12;223(5202):158–160. doi: 10.1038/223158a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Tanaka T., Weisblum B. Construction of a colicin E1-R factor composite plasmid in vitro: means for amplification of deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jan;121(1):354–362. doi: 10.1128/jb.121.1.354-362.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Taylor A. L., Trotter C. D. Revised linkage map of Escherichia coli. Bacteriol Rev. 1967 Dec;31(4):332–353. doi: 10.1128/br.31.4.332-353.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Thompson R., Broda P. DNA polymerase 3 and the replication of F and ColVBtrp in Escherichia coli K-12. Mol Gen Genet. 1973 Dec 31;127(3):255–258. doi: 10.1007/BF00333765. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Timmis K., Cabello F., Cohen S. N. Cloning, isolation, and characterization of replication regions of complex plasmid genomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Jun;72(6):2242–2246. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.6.2242. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Worcel A., Burgi E. On the structure of the folded chromosome of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1972 Nov 14;71(2):127–147. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90342-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES