Plasmid-determined cadmium resistance in Pseudomonas putida GAM-1 isolated from soil

Cadmium-resistant Pseudomonas putida GAM-1, which was able to grow in concentrations of CdCl2 as high as 7 mM, was isolated from soil in a rice paddy. This bacterium harbored a DNA plasmid of about 52 kilobases. The plasmid (pGU100) transformed Escherichia coli C600 to cadmium resistance. A cadmium-resistant transformant of E. coli C600 contained a plasmid corresponding to that seen in P. putida GAM-1. The transformant did not take up cadmium as well as P. putida GAM-1 did.