Chromosomal recombination in Haemophilus influenzae

Abstract

Haemophilus influenzae cultures doubly lysogenic for defective phage HP1, with a prophage marker sequence +b+/a+c, always contained some free wild-type phage. Single ultraviolet-irradiated cells produced either no wild-type phage or large numbers of them. This suggested that the phage was not released by the original double lysogen but by internal recombinants, i.e., by double lysogens with altered prophage marker sequence such as +++/abc or +b+/++c. Thirty-one wild-type phage-producing clones have been isolated independently from cultures of this double lysogen and identified. They fell in five classes. Two classes, still possessing all three prophage markers, can be explained by Campbell's (1963) prophage recombination model. The other classes had lost one or more markers. They can be explained by interchromosomal double-strand DNA breakage and rejoining. A single-DNA-strand gene conversion model is discussed in view of the fact that genetic transformation involves single-DNA-strand exchanges. A number of potentially interesting mutants has been analyzed of which only the derivatives of rec1 mutant DB117 (obtained from Dr. J. Setlow) were incapable of internal recombination.