Characterization of a small plasmid from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and its use for shuttle vector construction.

A 2.3-kb plasmid present in about 20 copies per genome was identified in extracts of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G100A and designated pBG1. It appears to be unable to replicate in Escherichia coli. Although composite plasmids of pBG1 inserted into pTZ18U are stable in E. coli, few if any pBG1-specific transcripts are detectable. The plasmid sequence reveals several features typical of the origin of replication of non-ColE1 enterobacterial plasmids as well as several potential open reading frames. This small replicon has been shown to support the replication of recombinant plasmids in D. desulfuricans G100A and Desulfovibrio fructosovorans. A conjugable shuttle vector has been constructed.