Biopolymers and cell. 2000; 16 (5): 420 - 424

Surfactant degradative plasmids

L. A. Taranova, S. N. Dybkova, V. G. Grishchenkov, E. A. Mordukhova, A. M. Boronin

It has been shown that the degradation of anionlc, cationic and ampholytic surfactants by pseudomonads can be controlled by the plasmids with size of 60—130 kb. Most plasmid strains that degrade surfactants are capable of conjugative transfer and elimination from bacteria cells. Restriction patterns of plasmids do not reveal significant homology between plasmids.