Structural-Functional Analysis of Cryptic Plasmids in <i>Yersinia pestis</i> Strains from Two Natural Plague Foci of Russia

Abstract

Identified are the complete nucleotide sequences of two cryptic plasmids - pCKF from the Central-Caucasian high-mountain plague focus and pTP33 - from Tuva mountain plague focus in Russia. It is established that the size of the pCKF is 5.4 kbp, and its G-C pair composition accounts for 38.4 %. The plasmid contains 8 open reading frames, encoding transport and secretion functions, in particular, secretion systems of the VI type. The size of another cryptic plasmid, pTP33, is 33.8 kbp, and G-C pair composition accounts for 50.3 %. It contains 52 open reading frames, the majority of which have been classified as phage proteins. Hence, it is inferred that pTP33 is a ring genome of phage. It also has two genes of two-component protein system, toxin-antitoxin, YoeB/YefM, that affects replication apparatus of bacteria.

Keywords

• возбудитель чумы
• геном
• криптические плазмиды
• структурно-функциональный анализ
• plague agent
• genome
• cryptic plasmids
• structural-functional analysis