Characterization of a plasmid from moderately halophilic eubacteria

Abstract

A plasmid has been isolated for the first time from moderately halophilic eubacteria. Halomonas elongata, Halomonrrs halmphila, Deleya halophila and Vibrio costkola were found to harbour an 11.5 kbp plasmid (pMH1). The plasmid was isolated and characterized after transformation into Escherichia coh'JM101 cells. A restriction map was constructed, and unique restriction sites for EcoRI, EcoRV and ClaI were detected. The occurrence of such a plasmid in the original halophilic strains was confirmed by Southern hybridization. The plasmid carries genetic determinants that mediate resistance to kanamycin, tetracycline, and neomycin. This property, together with its relatively small size, its stability in E colicells, and the presence of unique restriction sites, makes pMHl a good candidate for the development of a cloning vector for moderate halophiles.