Fig 3.

Schematic representation of the repABC replication module in pBSC2-1 and pBSC2-2. (A) Open arrows (repA and repB) and the filled arrow (repC) indicate repABC, with the arrowheads showing their transcription directions. The small arrow in the opposite direction between repB and repC indicates the position of the putative antisense RNA (ctRNA). The position of the putative parS site is marked as an open circle. In both plasmids, a parS-like consensus sequence (GTTNNCNGCNGNNAAC) (10) is present within repB. The conserved intergenic region (igs) between repB and repC is marked by a box. (B) Nucleotide sequences of the intergenic region (igs) in pBSC2-1 (I) and pBSC2-2 (II). In both cases, sequences are shown from the stop codon of repB to the start codon of repC (both highlighted by boldface letters and indicated below by the respective codes, * and M). The −35 and −10 elements of the ctRNA promoter are indicated, boldface and boxed. The motifs 1 and 2, indicated in boldface and underlined, are conserved in the igs of repABC replicons. The T-tract, which probably constitutes the end of the transcript, is marked by an arrow, with an arrowhead showing the direction of transcription.