Commonly, linear replicons that have protein covalently attached to 5' DNA termini replicate by protein-primed, strand-displacing, continuous synthesis of full-length strands. The synthesis of DNA in pSLA2, a 17-kilobase linear plasmid of Streptomyces rochei containing 5' terminal protein, occurs bidirectionally from an internally located replication origin. The replication intermediates are linear duplex molecules that have recessed (approximately 280 nucleotides) 5' ends rather than full-length single strands. The 3' over-hangs may serve as templates for the non-displacing synthesis of the lagging strand terminus primed by the covalently attached 5' DNA binding protein.