This unit describes the procedure used to move portions of the E. coli genome from one genetic variant to another. Fragments of approximately 100 kb can be transferred by the P1 bacteriophage. The phage is first grown on a strain containing the elements to be moved, and the resulting phage lysate is used to infect a second recipient strain. The lysate will contain bacterial DNA as well as phage DNA, and genetic recombination, catalyzed by enzymes of the recipient strain, will incorporate the bacterial fragments into the recipient chromosome.
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