The <i>par</i> region of pSC101 affects plasmid copy number as well as stability

Abstract

The par locus is a segment of pSC101 that has been identified as a cis-acting determinant of plasmid stability. We show that par also determines copy number and must, therefore, play a role in plasmid replication. The segregation defect, but not the copy-number reduction, of par- replication origins is completely suppressed by a short sequence from the bacteriophage lambda gene O which is present in plasmid pKO-4. Thus, replication and segregation functions are separable from each other.