Replication of the mini-R1 plasmid Rsc11 and Rsc11 hybrid plasmids.

Replication of the multicopy mini-R1 plasmid, Rsc11, is dependent on host replication functions dna A, B, C, E and G but independent of polA1. Chloramphenicol immediately stops its replication. A stable relaxation complex is not formed. Composite plasmids were constructed with Rsc11 and other small replicons like pSC101, ColE1 and mini-ColE1. In all combinations the amount of hybrid plasmid DNA in the cell never exceeds the amount of Rsc11 DNA itself. This leads to varying copy numbers of the hybrid plasmids depending on the size of the second plasmid. Replication of the composite plasmids proceeds probably always under the control of the Rsc11 part although the second replicon is still functional. The composite plasmids are incompatible with both the parent replicons.