Lambda phagemids and their transducing properties

Two recombinant lambda DNAs, lambda gt::pMB9 and lambda NM::pBR322, containing, respectively, the pMB9 and pBR322 replicon were constructed and characterized. Both constructs (phagemid DNAs) transfect Escherichia coli cells, producing mature infectious phage progenies. Alternatively, drug-resistant colonies of transductants can be selected upon infection with these phages (phagemid particles) that maintain phagemid DNA in the cell in the form of covalently closed circular plasmids. The efficiency of transduction for nonlysogenic E. coli strains with lambda gt::pMB9 phage producing lambda repressor cIts ranges from 10(-7) to 10(-2) transductant colonies per input phage, depending on the temperature and strain used, while lambda NM::pBR322 phage carrying imm21 transduces with a frequency of up to 1. This means that each lambda NM::pBR322 phagemid particle is capable of establishing itself in the cell as a nonlethal plasmid, permitting formation of a resistant bacterial colony. The maximal level of transduction with lambda gt::pMB9 was obtained when E. coli cells lysogenic for lambda were used. Thus, we believe that the efficiency of transduction is determined by the turn-on of the phage repressor in the transductant. In addition, we have found that all lambda gt::pMB9-containing transductants under certain conditions harbor precisely excised pMB9; excision of pBR322 from lambda NM::pBR322 has not been observed.