Novel narrow-host-range vectors for direct cloning of foreign DNA in Pseudomonas

Narrow-host-range vectors, based on an indigenous replicon and containing a multiple cloning site, have been constructed in a Pseudomonas host capable of growth on unusual substrates. The new cloning vectors yield sufficient amounts of DNA for preparative purposes and belong to an incompatibility group different from that of the incP and incQ broad-host-range vectors. One of these vectors, named pDB47F, was used to clone, directly in Pseudomonas, DNA fragments from Agrobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Rhizobium. A clone containing Agrobacterium and KmR gene sequences was transformed with a higher efficiency than an RSF1010-derived vector (by as much as 1250-fold) in four out of five Pseudomonas strains tested. The considerable efficiency obtained with this system makes possible the direct cloning and phenotypic selection of foreign DNA in Pseudomonas.