FIG 1 .

Two novel lytic coliphages promote extensive plasmid DNA transformation. Data represent the numbers of antibiotic-resistant transformants obtained from DNA extracted from various phages’ lysates of ~10⁸ E. coli MG1655 cells bearing ampicillin resistance plasmid pBAD24. Because known—but slightly varying—numbers of E. coli MG1655 cells were used in different replicates, raw transformant counts were normalized to the per-10⁸-cells-lysed standard. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean of eight independent biological replicates of isolates D* and F* and three independent biological replicates of all other phages. Phage isolates D* and F* were subsequently renamed SUSP1 and SUSP2, respectively (see text).