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Journal of Bacteriology, November 1998, p. 5676-5681, Vol. 180, No. 21
Laboratory of Microbial Structure and
Function1 and
Microscopy
Branch,2 Rocky Mountain Laboratories,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton,
Montana 59840
Received 28 May 1998/Accepted 26 August 1998
We have inactivated the ospC, oppAIV, and
guaB genes on the 26-kb circular plasmid of Borrelia
burgdorferi (cp26) by allelic exchange. On several occasions
following such transformations, the cp26 of transformants had an
aberrant mobility through agarose gels. Characterization of these cp26
molecules showed that the plasmid had dimerized. These dimers were
quite stable during either selective or nonselective passage.
Subsequent transformations with dimer DNA supported the
hypothesis that in B. burgdorferi, transforming cp26 DNA
most likely does not displace the resident homologous plasmid
but rather must recombine in order to donate sequences that it carries.
These serendipitous findings provide a mechanism for obtaining
heterozygous complemented control strains when mutant phenotypes are
characterized.
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Characterization of Circular Plasmid Dimers in
Borrelia burgdorferi
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Rocky Mountain
Laboratories, NIAID, NIH, 903 S. 4th St., Hamilton, MT 59840. Phone: (406) 363-9239. Fax: (406) 363-9204. E-mail address:
ktilly{at}nih.gov.
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