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Isolation and characterization ofMicrococcus plasmids

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Abstract

Plasmids were detected in a small to moderate percentage of strains in the speciesMicrococcus kristinae (7%)M. agilis (20%),M. luteus (20%),M. varians (23%),M. nishinomiyaensis (41%), andM. roseus (55%). Plasmids were not detected inM. lylae (0/16) orM. sedentarius (0/20). Plasmid molecular sizes ranged from 1 to ca. 90 MDa. Most of the strains carrying plasmids exhibited only one or two types. Plasmid patterns appeared to be slightly more complex inM. nishinomiyaensis, which usually carried 2–3 different plasmids. The various plasmids detected remained cryptic, with the possible exception of a lincomycin resistance plasmid pWE2205 present inM. roseus strain KH6. DNA hybridization with Southern blots indicated that extensive deoxyribonucleotide sequence homologies were restricted to certain plasmids within a given species, e.g., withinM. nishinomiyaensis orM. roseus. Several plasmids ofM. nishinomiyaensis sharing extensive homology could be distinguished on the basis of restriction endonuclease analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, North Carolina State University, 276957614, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

    James N. Mathis

  2. Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, 276957614, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

    Wesley E. Kloos PhD

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  1. James N. Mathis
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  2. Wesley E. Kloos PhD
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Paper no. 9243 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, Raleigh, North Carolina.

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Mathis, J.N., Kloos, W.E. Isolation and characterization ofMicrococcus plasmids. Current Microbiology 10, 339–344 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01626562

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