Transposition of Tn1000: in vivo properties

Transposition mediated by the Tn1000 transposase was investigated by using transposon variants carrying synthetic or wild-type termini but no intact Tn1000 genes. Transposon Tn1001, whose only homologies to Tn1000 are in its 38-base-pair terminal inverted repeats, transposed at the same rate as Tn1005, an artificial construct carrying wild-type Tn1000 termini and approximately 1 kilobase of flanking Tn1000 DNA at each end, when transposase was supplied in trans. The majority of the transpositions into pOX38 gave rise to cointegrates, but approximately 10% of the products expressed phenotypes of direct transpositions. The expression and temperature dependence of the tnpA gene product were examined by studying transposition of Tn1001 to bacteriophage lambda. The temperature optimum for transposition was 37 degrees C, and the transposase was stable for up to 2 h at this temperature.