Fig 6.

Strains 118a, 72a, CA-11.2A, and 94a each contain an identical erp gene that is a chimera of a small- and a medium-sized erp gene. Illustrated are a schematic and a sequence alignment comparing the strain 118a Q40 gene with the strain B31 erpA gene, which is a similar small-sized allele, and the strain 118a R38 gene, which is a similar medium-sized allele. All three open reading frames possess the characteristically conserved erp 5′ sequence, indicated in blue. Sequences of 118a Q40 that are similar to those of erpA or R38 are indicated by green or orange, respectively. In the sequence alignment, sequences of erpA and R38 that are identical to those of Q40 are indicated by asterisks. The approximate region of the recombination event that combined a small- and medium-sized erp to produce the chimera is bordered by red arrowheads.