Complete nucleotide sequence of pSTK1, a cryptic plasmid from Bacillus stearothermophilus TK015

Abstract

The complete nucleotide sequence of pSTK1, a cryptic plasmid isolated from B. stearothermophilus TK015, has been determined. pSTK1 has been shown to be 1883 bp in length and contain three open reading frames (ORFs), one of which has a helix-turn-helix motif typical of DNA-binding proteins. Also identified was a region that can form an extensive secondary structure, which would show a high degree of similarity to palA, an origin for minus strand elongation in rolling circle replication.