Direct selection for the exchange of alleles between a plasmid and the Escherichia coli chromosome

Recombination is extensively used in order to move alleles between replicons. The exchange of wild-type chromosomal and mutant plasmid-borne alleles is a two-step process entailing the formation of a cointegrate between the entire plasmid and the chromosome, followed by resolution of such cointegrates to give a mutant chromosome and a plasmid carrying the wild-type chromosomal sequence. Often the cointegrate and the resolved forms cannot be distinguished phenotypically. To enable the direct isolation of the resolved products we have developed a positive selection technique. Cells containing a cointegrated plasmid R1 were constructed by transduction using a P1 lysate prepared from cells harbouring a plasmid comprising a mutant chromosomal allele and the so-called omega fragment which carries an aad (aminoglycoside adenylyltransferase) gene. P1 transduction from the cointegrate strain into an SmD recipient allowed direct selection for the resolved complex, since transduction of the aad gene is lethal to an SmD strain.