[The role of the RS1 sequence of Vibrio cholerae in the amplification of a segment of plasmid DNA carrying the tetracycline resistance gene and cholera toxin genes].

The clones with 4 to 30-fold increased level of tetracycline resistance (TcR) were selected from the strain of Escherichia coli K-12 carrying the pCO107 plasmid. The plasmid is the cointegrate formed from the plasmids pOX38 (F-derivative) and pCT105 (pBR322-derivative carrying the vct operon of Vibrio cholerae eltor and the RSI sequence). pCO107 contains RSI at the junctions of two plasmid genomes. Using restriction analysis and Southern blot hybridization technique it was shown that increased tetracycline resistance is accompanied by amplification of the pCT105 segment of pCO107 and depends upon the presence of direct repeats of flanking RSI. Amplification of the pCT105 also resulted in increased production of the cholerae toxin (CT).