FIG 2 .

Phages SUSP1 and SUSP2, but not T4, promote the transformation of four evolutionarily distinct plasmids. Data represent the yields of antibiotic-resistant transformants obtained from DNA extracted from lysates in which ~10⁸ E. coli MG1655 cells bearing one of four resistance plasmids (pBAD24, pSP102m5, pOAR31, or pπγ) were lysed by phage SUSP1, SUSP2, or T4. 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. Data represent the mean proportions of the control (transformation of plasmid DNA extracted with a commercial kit from the same number of bacterial cells as were lysed by phage) for each plasmid type. Error bars represent the standard error of the mean of three independent biological replicates.