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Genetic Recombination in Bacteriophage X174

^a Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109

ABSTRACT

Genetic recombination in bacteriophage X174 usually takes place early in the infection process and involves two parental replicative form (double-stranded) DNA molecules. The host recA protein is required; none of the nine known X174 cistron products is essential. The products of a single recombination event are nonreciprocal and asymmetric. Typically, only one of the parental genotypes and one recombinant genotype are recovered from a single cell. An alternative, less efficient recombination mechanism which requires an active X174 cistron A protein is observed in the absence of the host recA gene product.

¹ Present address: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge, England CB2 2QH.