Cloning and expression of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene in cytosine-substituted T4 bacteriophage.

We have developed an efficient method for transferring foreign genes into the T4 phage genome. Any foreign genes inserted into the T4 uvsY gene cloned on plasmids can be transferred into a cytosine-substituted T4dC(delta NB5060) phage genome by a replacement type of recombination. To achieve this, we constructed chimeric plasmids which had a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene (cat) derived from transposon Tn9 inserted into the Bg/II site within the T4 uvsY gene on pBR322. The cat gene was then transferred by in vivo recombination into the T4dC(delta NB5060) phage genome. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the cat gene in the hybrid T4dC phage was expressed upon phage infection and development.