Inverted terminal repetitions of the two linear DNA associated with the killer character of the yeast<i>Kluyveromyces lactis</i>

Abstract

The killer character of some Kluyveromyces lactis strains is associated with the presence of two linear double-stranded DNA, pGKl-1 (or k1) and pGKl-2 (or k2). Nucleotide sequencing has revealed that each DNA has inverted terminal repetitions of about 200 base-pairs whose 5' ends seem to be blocked. The repetitions of the two DNA do not share extensive sequence homology. The role of these repetitions in the replication of killer DNA is discussed.