[Mechanism of genetic recombination in bacterial conjugation. VIII. The heterogeneity of the progeny of exconjugants].

It is shown on several examples that the heterogeneity of recombinant clones after conjugation is independent on the conditions of primary selection (i.e. on the yield of primary clones). Therefore the prediction of the model of autonomously multiplying donor fragments is not confirmed by experimental data. Two additional characteristics of heterogeneity are introduced. The statistical distribution of merozygotes according to segregation time is measured. It is an exponential curve with a relaxation time approximately coinsident with the third cell division. A liner function is found for the dependence of heterogeneity on the distance between the selective and non-selective markers. The highest value for non-linked markers is about 15%. Alternative models for the explanation of the heterogeneity of exconjugants are discussed.