Open AccessMechanisms involved in the formation of plaque‐forming derivatives from over‐sized hybrid phages between bacteriophage P1 and the R plasmid NR1
Author(s) -
Iida Shigeru,
Meyer Jürg,
Arber Werner
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1987.tb02108.x
Subject(s) - bacteriophage , plasmid , biology , genome , homologous recombination , recombination , genetics , gene , dna , escherichia coli
Three case histories document how subsequent events of genomic rearrangements and selection interplay in the evolution of infectious bacteriophage genomes carrying acquired genes. Two of the phages studied were plaque‐forming P1CmTc recombinants derived from P1Cm1 and P1Tc1, both of which are hybrids between phage P1 and the R plasmid NR1. In the formation of the P1CmTc4 genome a postulated intermediate underwent IS 1 ‐mediated deletion formation. From the same intermediate P1CmTc1 must have evolved by IS 1 ‐mediated inversion followed by homologous recombination with a parental phage DNA. The third case documents formation of the P1Cm2 genome by “illegitimate” intramolecular recombination in the genome of P1‐r‐det, a hybrid between P1 and NR1.