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The tetracycline resistance determinant of RA1 was cloned. It consists of at least two genes oriented with opposite polarity, tetA for resistance and tetR for regulation. The transcriptional control sequence was identified and analyzed. It consists of overlapping promotors with divergent orientation and a tandem arrangement of operators. Nucleotide sequencing revealed two open reading frames. One codes for a protein which was identified as a Tet repressor by comparing its primary structure with those of other Tet repressors. The RA1 tetR gene codes for 218 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 24.4 kDa. In the primary sequence of the RA1-, pSC101-, Tn10-, and RP1/Tn1721-encoded Tet repressors, 36% of the amino acids are identical. This homology is clustered within the first 150 amino acids, 49% of which are identical among all four proteins. These results are discussed with respect to their structure and function in comparison to other DNA binding proteins.

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Homologous and heterologous repressor-operator interactions among four different classes of tetracycline resistance determinants have been compared. These are represented by RP1/Tn1721 (class A), R222/TnlO (class B), pSC101/pBR322 (class C), and RAl (class D). By the use of the purified repressor proteins of class A (TetRA) and class B (TetRB), operator sequences of all four classes are recognized by both with an identical stoichiometry of four repressor subunits per control sequence, but with different affinities. In vitro transcription has been used to demonstrate regulatory activities of TetRA and TetRB upon all four classes of tet genes. Tetracycline acted as an inducer. A functional relationship among the tet regulatory systems was also shown in vivo by complementation of a class A tetR'-galK fusion mutant with the tetR genes of classes A, B, and C. Repression of ted?-linked galactokinase was ca. 80% in the presence of tetRA or tetRC, and ca. 50% in the presence of tetRB. Taken together, these results demonstrate heterologous repressor-operator interaction, suggesting dose relationships among the four classes of Tcr determinants.