Abstract
The attachment site (attλ) of bacteriophage λ was examined in wild strains of Escherichia coli. Although the att region is non-coding, the DNA sequence was invariant in the 13 strains examined. Two other non-coding regions showed nine changes, all associated with a single strain. In four of 33 strains, sequences were inserted in or near the attλ site and in two of these the insert was related to λ. Among strains that can be lysogenized by λ, integration was via the attλ site in all cases. Some resistant strains can be lysogenized, and these have been termed ``lenient.'' Most of these fail to give normal phage yield after induction. In some cases rare lysogens have been formed in cells that belong to a mutant subpopulation.
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Received: 19 December 2000 / Accepted: 20 April 2001
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Kuhn, J., Campbell, A. The Bacteriophage λ Attachment Site in Wild Strains of Escherichia coli . J Mol Evol 53, 607–614 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002390010247
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002390010247