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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

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Published on: July 7, 2026
Sequence of plasmid pBS228 and reconstruction of the IncP-1alpha phylogeny
Anthony S Haines1, Karen Jones, Sarah M Batt
1School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Abstract:
The antibiotic resistance plasmid pBS228 has been completely sequenced, and revealed to be descended from a plasmid virtually identical to the Birmingham IncP-1alpha plasmid RK2/RP4/RP1. However, it has three additional transposon insertions, one of which is responsible for the extra antibiotic resistances conferred. Loss of kanamycin resistance, which is characteristic of most IncP-1alpha plasmids, is the result of this insertion. A second transposon causes inactivation of the mating pair formation apparatus, rendering the plasmid non-self-transmissible. Comparison with the published data for other IncP-1alpha plasmids gives insight into the recent evolutionary history of this group as well as the acquisition and transmission of one of the first ampicillin resistance transposons discovered.
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