Isolation and characterization of P1 minireplicons, lambda-P1:5R and lambda-P1:5L.

We have isolated two new classes of P1 miniplasmids, called lambda-P1:5R and lambda-P1:5L, by the in vivo extension of a cloned P1 fragment, EcoRI-5, which by itself is not capable of plasmid replication. The lambda-P1:5R plasmids contain EcoRI-5 plus a variable portion of the adjacent P1 EcoRI fragment 8. They have a copy number like that of P1 (about 1 per host chromosome), are faithfully segregated at cell division, and are subject to incompatibility exerted by either a single copy of P1 or a single copy of EcoRI-5. In contrast, the lambda-P1:5L plasmids contain EcoRI-5 and a portion of adjacent P1 DNA that includes at least P1 EcoRI fragments 15, 18, and 23 and a part of fragment 17. These plasmids have a copy number of about 15 per cell chromosome. Despite this they are segregated to daughter cells somewhat less faithfully than are lambda-P1:5R plasmids. They are sensitive to incompatibility exerted by a single copy of P1, but not to incompatibility exerted by a single copy of EcoRI-5. lambda-P1:5L plasmids are, however, sensitive to incompatibility exerted by multiple copies of EcoRI-5. These results show that the relative copy numbers of exerting and responding elements are important for the incompatibility phenotype and strongly suggest that lambda-P1:5L plasmids lack a repressor of replication that can be supplied in trans from P1 but not from EcoRI fragment 5. We suggest that P1 normally uses the 5R replicon and that the 5L replicon may be a backup system that ensures plasmid maintenance should the primary replication event fail to initiate.