Characterization of lambda cysB and of two derivatives carrying cysB amber mutations

The specialized transducing phage lambda cysB (Borck et al., 1976) was found to carry about 5 kilobases of Escherichia coli DNA. It was shown to have an intact cysB gene but none of the known neighbouring genetic loci. The phage (which is known to be deficient in its site-specific recombination functions) was shown to integrate into the chromosome of bacterial recipients at the cysB locus. Excision from this site occasionally generated recombinant phages that had exchanged their cysB allele for the one originally present in the host. In this way lambda cysB derivatives were prepared from lysogens of two strains carrying the amber mutations cysB242 and cysB257; these phases were proved by several tests to contain the expected cysB amber mutations.