[Isolation and characteristics of deletion mutants of thermosensitive plasmid pEG1]

Phenotypic revertants of temperature-sensitive in self-maintenance plasmid pEG1 derived from R-factor RP4 were studied. The study indicated a sertain part of them to be variants without ampicillin resistance. The frequency of pEG1 ampicillin sensitive (Aps) derivatives is about 5.10(-7) and does not depend on the recA gene product. The Aps-derivatives of pEG1 plasmid can be classified in two phenotypic groups. The first group is temperature-independent and does not inhibit the growth of host cells by non-permissive temperature (43 degrees C). Agarose gel electrophoresis has revealed that plasmids of this group occur as a result of deletions in plasmid pEG1. The other group of Aps-derivatives still possess the property to be eliminated at 43 degrees C and they inhibit the growth of bacterial cells like pEG1. Agarose gel has demonstrated that some of them are deletion mutants while others are quite similar to pEG1 plasmid. The data obtained in the course of study of deletion mutants make it possible to suppose that the presence of gene with temperature sensitive mutation in pEG1 is not necessary for stable maintenance of R-factor.