Specialized transducing phages for ribosomal protein genes of Escherichia coli.

Specialized lambda transducing phages have been isolated carrying approximately half the ribosomal protein genes of E. coli. These phages carry regions of the bacterial chromosome between aroE and fus. The ribosomal protein genes on these phages have been identified by the stimulation of ribosomal protein synthesis in ultraviolet-irradiated bacteria following infection by the transducing phage, and by the in vitro synthesis of ribosomal proteins in a DNA-dependent protein synthesizing system. The results indicate lambdadspcl probably carries at least 22 ribosomal protein genes and lambdadspc2 at least 26 genes. All these genes are clustered between trkA and strA. At least 13 of them have not been previously mapped.