DNA sequence and genetic characterization of plasmid pFQ11 from Frankia alni strain CpI1

An 8551-bp plasmid, pFQ11, from Frankia alni strain CpI1 was sequenced. Its sequence was found to be very similar to that presented for pFQ31 from strain ArI3. Six potential protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs) were identified, and transcriptional activity was shown within four of those regions of the plasmid by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. An earlier study reported that ORF E(F) of pFQ31, which is nearly identical to the 3' 45% of ORF1 of pFQ11, is significantly similar to RepF. We found no such similarity. ORF2 and ORF3 predict products that are similar to a repressor protein and a partition protein, respectively. We found inverted repeats within and covering the start codon of ORF3; palindromic sequences and direct repeats between ORF3 and ORF4; and 3' from ORF3, an AT-rich sequence that extensively overlaps the promoter region of a uvrB homolog in strain ArI3.