Interaction between the plasmid R6K andEscherichia coliwith defective DNA polymerase I

Abstract

SUMMARYInitial experiments demonstrated that the plasmid R6K cannot be transferred to or maintained readily in theE. coliDNA polymerase I deficient strain JG138polA1. Results withE. coliMM386polA12(R6K), which has a temperature sensitive polymerase I enzyme, showed cell division becomes abnormal when the polymerase I enzyme of the host bacteria is inactivated at the restrictive temperature. Under conditions of polymerase I deficiency, R6K replication, as measured by monitoring R-factor-mediated β-lactamase activity, also becomes abnormal with the loss of multiple R6K copies per cell and the apparent maintenance of a single R-factor copy per cell.