Translocation of a discrete piece of deoxyribonucleic acid carrying an amp gene between replicons in Eschericha coli

Abstract

A number of well-characterized R plasmids (R1drd 19. K1.R100-1, R46, R55-1, R64-11, R388, and R751) will mobilize an integrated amp gene from the chromosome of Escherichia coli K-12. R391 will not act in this way. The process involves recombination, and in each case the mobilizing plasmid acquires an additional piece of deoxyribonucleic acid of molecular weight 4 X 10(6). Acquisition of this deoxyribonucleic acid may impair the transfer properties of the recombinant plasmid in some cases. The process will occur in a recA background.