A genetic study of Escherichia coli strains carrying Mu-lambda-Mu structures.

We have studied the interaction of bacteriophages Mu and lambda after their simultaneous induction and the influence of lambda on Mu-dependent mobilization of the E. coli chromosome by the RP4 plasmid. Heterolysogenic E. coli strains carrying Mu-lambda-Mu structures were constructed (Faelen et al. 1975). The Mu and lambda prophages are linked in such structures, and the functions of some lambda genes are disturbed depending on the integration site. A study of the inhibition of Mu growth by lambda after their simultaneous induction was performed and the region of the lambda genome (R-H) which contains the gene(s) responsible for the inhibitory effect of lambda on Mu was identified. The efficiency of Mu-dependent mobilization of the bacterial chromosome by RP4 is shown to be an order of magnitude lower in strains with unlinked Mu and lambda and an order of magnitude higher in strains with some permutations of the lambda prophage than in the control Mu-monolysogenic E. coli strain. Thus the effect of Mu on mobilization depends on the localization of the lambda prophage and on the functioning of its genome within a Mu-lambda-Mu structure. It is presumed that the mobilization of the bacterial chromosome is stimulated by effective replication of the Mu genome starting from the ori site (origin of replication) of the lambda prophage within the Mu-lambda-Mu structure. We propose a model to explain the interaction of Mu and lambda in E. coli strains carrying Mu-lambda-Mu structures.