A family of shuttle vectors for lactic acid bacteria and other gram-positive bacteria based on the plasmid pLF1311 replicon

A set of broad-host-range single-replicon shuttle vectors for cloning nucle otide sequences in grampositive bacteria (lactobacilli, enterococci, lactoc occi, bacilli, etc.) was created. The vectors are based on the cryptic plas mid pLF1311 from Lactobacillus fermentum VKM 1311, belonging to the family of the sigma-type pE194-like plasmids. The vectors can replicate in gram-po sitive bacteria and Escherichia coli. They are stable in many gram-positive bacteria, have small sizes, and allow the selection of recombinants on med ia with X-Gal. The vectors that contain the region of initiation of the con jugal transfer of plasmid RP4 belonging to the incompatibility group IncP a lpha can be mobilized in a great number of bacteria using a helper plasmid from E. coli but not from gram-positive bacteria.