Bending the rules: the 2-mu plasmid of yeast

The replication of eukaryotic DNA is normally initiated at each origin only once per cell cycle. Yet, in spite of this restriction, the 2-mu plasmid of yeast has evolved an elegant mechanism which can allow it to rapidly amplify its copy number without initiating multiple rounds of replication. It achieves this by exploiting a plasmid-encoded site-specific recombination system in a way that is apparently unique to this plasmid. The 2-mu plasmid has also evolved a mechanism that allows effective partition of itself between mother and daughter cells. Together these processes ensure the persistence of the 2-mu plasmid within a population, even though retention of the plasmid is of no advantage to the host cell and causes a slightly slower growth rate. The success of this survival strategy is illustrated by the near ubiquity of the 2-mu plasmid in both wild-type and laboratory strains of yeast.