Transfer of conjugative plasmids and bacteriophage lambda occurs in the presence of antibiotics that prevent de novo gene expression.

Plasmids transferred between bacteria prevented from expressing genes by the presence of bacteriostatic antibiotics. Whereas it has long been known that de novo gene expression is not required in donor cells for conjugation, the observations reported here extend the autonomy of plasmid transfer to the early events of establishment in recipients. In addition, this phenomenon was extended to bacteriophage lambda. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.