pSAR1, a natural plasmid from Streptomyces arenae, shows rapid increase and decrease of copy numbers on changes of growth media.
A natural plasmid, pSAR1, was isolated from the antibiotic producer Streptomyces arenae TU469. Its size is estimated to approx. 80 kbp by restriction analysis. pSAR1 occurs in two copy-number states differing by a factor of at least 10, depending on culture conditions. The high copy-number state is strongly correlated with the production of the antibiotic pentalenolactone. The decrease of copy numbers after change of culture conditions is completed within 1 h. These unusually rapid kinetics and the occurrence of degradational intermediates suggest the participation of specific catalytic mechanisms in copy number regulation.