Complete nucleotide sequence of a Selenomonas ruminantium plasmid and definition of a region necessary for its replication in Escherichia coli.

A plasmid from Selenomonas ruminantium subspecies lactilytica has been subcloned in Escherichia coli K-12 and completely sequenced. Three open reading frames (ORFs) of 909, 801, and 549 bp were identified and the complete sequence was analyzed by comparison with DNA and protein databases. No significant deoxynucleotide or amino acid sequence homology with other published genes or proteins was detected. The plasmid was shown to replicate independently in E. coli K-12 by a DNA polymerase I-dependent mechanism and deletion analysis defined the DNA sequence responsible for this phenotype.