R6K plasmid replication: influence of chromosomal genotype in minicell-producing strains of Escherichia coli K-12.

Alkaline sucrose velocity sedimentation and cesium chloride-ethidium bromide equilibrium centrifugation have been used to determine the number of copies per chromosomal equivalent of the relaxedly replicating R6K plasmid (a conjugative plasmid conferring ampicillin and streptomycin resistance) in two minicell-producing strains of Escherichia coli K-12. In one strain, the average number of covalently closed circular R6K molecules per chromosomal equivalent is 13 in log-phase and 35 in stationary-phase cells. In the other strain, there is an average of six covalently closed circular R6K molecules per chromosomal equivalent in both log- and stationary-phase cells. Selection from this strain of spontaneously occurring mutants resistant to high concentrations of ampicillin has been accomplished and such mutants show a two- to threefold increase in the number of R6K copies per chromosomal equivalent. Relative to the parental strain, mutants display the following properties: (i) elevated streptomycin resistance, (ii) a 10-fold increase in R6K conjugal transfer, (iii) a 10-fold increase in the amount of R6K plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid segregated into minicells, and (iv) a two- to threefold increase in R6K-specified beta-lactamase. The mutation(s) responsible for the increase in the number of R6K molecules per chromosomal equivalent is located on the bacterial chromosome. No R6K-linked mutations conferring the above phenotypes have been obtained. The mutations are presumed to be in chromosomal genes which play a role in the regulation of R6K replication in this strain.