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Journal of Bacteriology, September 2006, p. 6629-6639, Vol. 188, No. 18
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JB.00672-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Sequence Analysis of the Lactococcal Plasmid pNP40: a Mobile Replicon for Coping with Environmental Hazards
Jonathan O'Driscoll,1
Frances Glynn,1
Gerald F. Fitzgerald,1,2 and
Douwe van Sinderen1,2*
Department of Microbiology,1
Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland2
Received 11 May 2006/
Accepted 28 June 2006
The conjugative lactococcal plasmid pNP40, identified in Lactococcus lactis subsp. diacetylactis DRC3, possesses a potent complement of bacteriophage resistance systems, which has stimulated its application as a fitness-improving, food-grade genetic element for industrial starter cultures. The complete sequence of this plasmid allowed the mapping of previously known functions including replication, conjugation, bacteriocin resistance, heavy metal tolerance, and bacteriophage resistance. In addition, functions for cold shock adaptation and DNA damage repair were identified, further confirming pNP40's contribution to environmental stress protection. A plasmid cointegration event appears to have been part of the evolution of pNP40, resulting in a "stockpiling" of bacteriophage resistance systems.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland. Phone: 353 214901365. Fax: 353 214903101. E-mail:
d.vansinderen{at}ucc.ie.
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.
Journal of Bacteriology, September 2006, p. 6629-6639, Vol. 188, No. 18
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JB.00672-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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