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Genetic characterization of plasmid pRJ5 of Staphylococcus aureus compared to plasmid pE194

Selma Soares de Oliveira; Maria do Carmo de Freire Bastos

Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia, UFRJ, CCS, Bloco I, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, 21944-970 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. Send correspondence to M.C.F.B.

ABSTRACT

pRJ5, a naturally occurring constitutive macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin B (MLS) resistance plasmid of Staphylococcus aureus, was compared to pE194, a plasmid that confers the inducible phenotype.
pRJ5 was stable in all strains of S. aureus tested, even under growth at 43°C, which distinguished it from pE194 which was shown to be thermo-sensitive for replication. pRJ5, like pE194, was highly unstable in Bacillus subtilis when the cells were grown in nonselective conditions. Multimeric forms of pRJ5 DNA were detected in the few cells of B. subtilis that retained this plasmid.
pE194 was transduced by phages phi 11 and phi443 at frequencies 400 and 20- fold higher, respectively, than pRJ5. Both plasmids were co-transduced with the plasmid pRJ4.
pRJ5 was shown to be compatible with pE194. Therefore they belong to distinct Inc groups. Hybridization studies revealed that pRJ5 shares a 1.35 kb region of homology to pE194, which is limited to the erm gene, conferring MLS resistance.

Keywords: Plasmid; Staphylococcus aureus.

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