Transcript analysis of the plasmid R100 traJ and finP genes

Single-stranded RNA probes were used to study the regulation of plasmid transfer in the infectious antibiotic resistance plasmid R100. Transcription of the positive transfer control gene traJ of R100 appears to be initiated continuously. In the presence of finO, the traJ transcript is 235 bases long, and in the absence of finO it is 1050. These sizes are strain specific. finO increases four-to tenfold the amount of the transcript from the finP gene that is detectable in cells containing R100, R136, or the sex factor F. The size of the principal finP transcript from R100 as determined on Northern blots is 105 bases. A secondary transcript with a size of 180 bases was detected in small amounts in R100 extracts. The finP transcript size was also determined by nuclease protection experiments. In this case the size was 74 bases. The 5' ends of the finP and traJ transcripts were located by primer extension experiments. A new model of FinO/P control is proposed.