Plasgene has developed proprietary methods for the selective removal or curing of DNA plasmids from bacteria. These methods, based on the company’s pCURE™ technology, overcome many of the difficulties which are associated with the displacement of plasmids from bacteria.

Classical plasmid displacement strategies involve stress of the host bacteria, which may favour mutation of the chromosome, undermining any conclusions from its removal. A further barrier to classical strategies is the post-segregational killing systems encoded on many plasmids. These systems utilise toxin-antitoxin interactions to kill bacteria that have lost the plasmid.

Plasgene has produced a kit, pCURE™2, which uses plasmid replicon incompatibility to eliminate F-like plasmids. This technology is stress free for the host bacteria, and includes elements to interfere with post-segregational killing systems.

Overview of the pCURE method.

For more information or to purchase pCURE™2, click here. For more information on the technology, please see the free Biotechniques article available here.