Complete nucleotide sequence of plasmid pNA6 reveals the high plasticity of IncU family plasmids

• The complete sequence of plasmid pNA6 belongs to IncU incompatibility group.
• A novel class 1 integron with sequences of aacA4-ereA-dfrA1 was identified in pNA6.
• The sequences of Tn3 and Tn5044-like transposons were firstly found on IncU plasmids.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem in health care and is of widespread public concern. Conjugative plasmids are the most important vectors in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. In this study, we determined the complete sequence of plasmid pNA6, a plasmid which was isolated from the sediments of Haihe River. This plasmid confers reduced susceptibility to ampicillin, erythromycin and sulfamethoxazole. The complete sequence of plasmid pNA6 was 52,210 bp in length with an average G + C content of 52.70%. Plasmid pNA6 belongs to the IncU group by sequence queries against the GenBank database. This plasmid has a typical IncU backbone and shows the highest similarities with plasmid RA3 and plasmid pFBAOT6. Plasmid pNA6 carries a class 1 integron consisting of aacA4, ereA and dfrA1 genes. Moreover, plasmid pNA6 also harbors a blaTEM-1-containing complex structure which inserted into the replication region and maintenance region. This insertion site has never been found on other IncU plasmids. The sequencing of plasmid pNA6 will add new sequence information to IncU family plasmids and enhance our understanding of the plasticity of IncU family plasmids.