DNA rearrangement has occurred in the carbazole-degradative plasmid pCAR1 and the chromosome of its unsuitable host, Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1.

The carbazole-degradative plasmid pCAR1 carries the class II transposon Tn4676, which contains the car and ant genes, essential for conversion of carbazole into anthranilate, and anthranilate into catechol, respectively. In our previous study, DNA rearrangements in pCAR1 were frequently detected in the host Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 in the presence of carbazole, resulting in the improvement of host survivability. Several Pf0-1 mutants harbouring pCAR1 were isolated, and deletion of DNA in the plasmid ant gene was found. Here, we compared genome sequences of the parent strain Pf0-1L(pCAR1::rfp) and one of its mutants, 5EP83, to assess whether other DNA rearrangements occurred in either the plasmid or the host chromosome. We found transposition of Tn4676 into the 5EP83 chromosome. In addition, ISPre1 had transposed into the car gene intergenic region on the pCAR1-derivative plasmid of 5EP83, which inhibited car transcription. As a result of these transpositions, 5EP83 was able to metabolize carbazole due to the Tn4676 on its chromosome, although the car genes on its plasmid were non-functional. We also found that one copy of duplicate carAa genes had been deleted, and that ISPre4 had transposed into both the host chromosome and the plasmid. Our findings suggest that Pf0-1 harbouring pCAR1 is subjected to DNA rearrangements not only on the plasmid but also on its chromosome in the presence of carbazole.