[Possible use of plasmids for studying the effect of space flight factors on biological objects]

The action of space flight factors on the phenotype and certain molecular and genetic parameters of E. coli plasmids (R, Col, Hly and others) was studied. The E. coli strains were grown and multiplied in the "Cytos" apparatus during the orbital flight of "Salyut-7" in June 1982. A synchronous experiment in the "Cytos" apparatus was performed under the Earth conditions. It was shown that space flight factors had no effect on the properties of the test strains and plasmids (antibiotic resistance, capacity for production of colicin, hemolysin, restriction endonuclease, conjugative capacity, frequency of conjugative transfers and molecular weight).