Nucleotide sequence of the 1,543-bp fragment of pFAR-1 containing the β-lactamase coding region. The deduced amino acid sequence is designated in single-letter code below the nucleotide sequence. The start and stop codons and the five structural elements characteristic of class A β-lactamases are in boldface. Additionally, a putative second start site (GTG) is underlined. Inverted repeat sequences are underlined by convergent arrows. The “∫” symbol indicates the putative cleavage site for the leader peptide. The 1,543 bp are numbered successively, and the amino acid numbering is according to the method of Ambler (1). Important amino acid positions of the deduced protein FAR-1 compared to those of TEM-1 are numbered; Ambler positions 69, 104, 182, 238, 240, 244, and 275.