Transcript and sequence analysis of a 5.1 kb contiguous fragment of Dictyostelium discoideum plasmid Ddp1 that contains the origin of replication and codes for several transcripts.

The sequence of a 5.1 kb contiguous fragment of the Dictyostelium plasmid Ddp1 is presented. This fragment contains three long open reading frames which correspond to the developmentally regulated and cAMP-inducible transcript d-5, the growth phase specific transcript g-1 and the three overlapping transcripts g-2, g-3 and d-4. The transcripts that originate from Ddp1 resemble chromosomally-encoded ones: they are products of RNA polymerase II, are polyadenylated and accumulate at different time points during Dictyostelium development. The presented nucleotide sequence encompasses a 2,033 bp HindIII fragment that had previously been shown to carry all the information necessary for extrachromosomal replication. None of the identified genes is completely contained within this HindIII fragment.