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Section of Microbiology, University of California, Davis, California 95616–8665, USA
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Dimerization of plasmid DNA accelerates selection for antibiotic resistance
Article first published online: 6 OCT 2006
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1996.tb02492.x
Additional Information
How to Cite
Mazin, A. V., Timchenko, T. V., Saparbaev, M. K. and Mazina, O. M. (1996), Dimerization of plasmid DNA accelerates selection for antibiotic resistance. Molecular Microbiology, 20: 101–108. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1996.tb02492.x
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Section of Microbiology, University of California, Davis, California 95616–8665, USA
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Groupe d'Etude ‘Mutagenèse et Cancérogenèse’, Institut Curie, Bâtiment 110, Centre Universitaire, F-91405 Orsay, France
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Sealy Center for Molecular Science, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555–1061, USA
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Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 6 OCT 2006
- Article first published online: 6 OCT 2006
- Received 8 April, 1995; revised 7 November, 1995; accepted 7 December, 1995
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Summary
Dimerization of multicopy plasmids is widely assumed to be disadvantageous both for plasmid maintenance and for the host cell. It is known that dimerization causes plasmid instability; dimer-containing cells grow slower than their monomer-containing counterparts. However, as we demonstrate here, under conditions of selective stress, dimers provide an advantage for bacteria. Dimers facilitate segregation of mutants from numerous copies of the parental plasmid. Accelerated segregation greatly increases the rate of accumulation of plasmids carrying mutations that are adaptive for bacteria. In contrast, resolution of dimers by site-specific recombination decreases, 103-105-fold, the efficiency of selection of spontaneous reversions in the tet gene of pBR327.