Transduction of bacteriophage lambda by bacteriophage T1

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Abstract
When bacteriophage T1 was grown on bacteriophage .lambda.-lysogenic cells, phenotypically mixed particles were formed which had the serum sensitivity, host range and density of T1 but which gave rise to .lambda.-phage. T1 packaged .lambda.-genomes more efficiently both when the length of the prophage was less than that of wild-type .lambda. and when the host cell was polylysogenic. Expression of the red genes of .lambda. or the recE system of Escherichia coli during T1 growth enhanced pickup of .lambda. by T1 but packaging was reduced in recB cells. If donors were singly lysogenic, the expression of transduced .lambda.-genomes as a PFU [plaque-forming units] required .lambda.-specified excisive recombination; .lambda.-genomes transduced from polylysogens required only .lambda.- or E. coli-specified general recombination to give a productive infection.