Characterization of KfrA proteins encoded by a plasmid of Paenibacillus popilliae ATCC 14706T

•A 15.9 kb plasmid of P. popilliae was identified and completely sequenced.•The plasmid was predicted to encode 17 putative open reading frames.•Recombinant KfrA proteins formed multimers and bound upstream of the kfrA genes.•Phylogenetic analysis suggests that kfrA genes were horizontally transferred.

A scaffold obtained from whole-genome shotgun sequencing of Paenibacillus popilliae ATCC 14706T shares partial homology with plasmids found in other strains of P. popilliae. PCR and sequencing for gap enclosure indicated that the scaffold originated from a 15,929-bp circular DNA. The restriction patterns of a plasmid isolated from P. popilliae ATCC 14706T were identical to those expected from the sequence; thus, this circular DNA was identified as a plasmid of ATCC 14706T and designated pPOP15.9. The plasmid encodes 17 putative open reading frames. Orfs 1, 5, 7, 8, and 9 are homologous to Orfs 11, 12, 15, 16, and 17, respectively. Orf1 and Orf11 are annotated as replication initiation proteins. Orf8 and Orf16 are homologs of KfrA, a plasmid-stabilizing protein in Gram-negative bacteria. Recombinant Orf8 and Orf16 proteins were assessed for the properties of KfrA. Indeed, they formed multimers and bound to inverted repeat sequences in upstream regions of both orf8 and orf16. A phylogenetic tree based on amino acid sequences of Orf8, Orf16 and Kfr proteins did not correlate with species lineage.