T1 Genes Which Affect Transduction

Abstract

Amber mutants of T1 were grown on each of three donor strains which were identical except that they carried different suppressors: respectively, supD, supE , and supB . The efficiency with which the mutants were able to transduce was tested after growth on each donor. In general, it was found that functions which control the synthesis of phage DNA usually caused significant increases in the efficiency of transduction (EOT). A few mutants located in genes essential for head production caused significant decreases in EOT. The presence of a particular suppressor in a donor can cause noteworthy changes in the EOT by certain of the mutant phages. Amber mutations in gene 3 of T1 were extremely sensitive to the particular suppressor present in the donor, showing a 17-fold decrease in EOT compared with other mutants after growth in donors with the supD suppressor and a 75-fold increase after growth in supE donors. Increases in EOT by early genes of T1 do not seem to be caused by a lack of competition of bacterial DNA with phage DNA during packaging since, in most instances, infective phage were produced in relatively normal amounts compared with wild-type T1. Phage DNA synthesis and degradations of the host chromosome are closely coupled in T1 infections; we believe that increases in EOT by mutants of early functions are due to inefficient degradation of the host chromosome.