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. 1986 May;113(1):13–33. doi: 10.1093/genetics/113.1.13

Hyper-Recombining Recipient Strains in Bacterial Conjugation

Sheldon I Feinstein 1, K Brooks Low 1
PMCID: PMC1202792  PMID: 3519362

Abstract

Using a direct enrichment and screening procedure, mutants of Escherichia coli have been isolated in which recombination frequencies for several intragenic Hfr x F- crosses are significantly higher (twofold to sixfold) than in the parental strains. These hyper-recombination mutations comprised five new mutS- and one new mutL- allele. Together with other known mut - alleles, they were analyzed for effects on intragenic recombination using several types of crosses. Hyper-recombination was found for mutS -, mutL-, mutH (= mutR)- and mutU (=uvrD)- , with the largest effects seen for certain alleles of uvrD; these resulted in over 20-fold excesses in recombinant production for Hfr x F- crosses and F'-chromosome homogenotization. Spontaneous mutator ability was not always correlated with degree of hyper-recombination.

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Selected References

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