[Genetic control of the formation of plasmid F'. I. Effect of recA- and seg-2 mutations in an Hfr donor strain on the character of plasmid F' formation].

Assuming the similarity of the processes of illegitimate recombination, such as deletion formation, with the process of F' plasmid formation, we have undertaken the study of the influence of recA- and seg- alleles of Hfr donor on the F' plasmid formation. The data obtained demonstrate the strong influence of donor genotype on the frequency of F' plasmid formation and on the nature of F' plasmids formed, thus demonstrating that the most of F' plasmids have been formed via recombination in Hfr donor cells. The recA- mutation decreased the total yield of F' plasmids selected using both proximal and distal Hfr markers and affected drastically the distribution of the F' plasmids inheriting different proximal unselected markers. The existence of recA-dependent and recA-independent modes of F' plasmid formation was demonstrated. The Escherichia coli chromosome contains regions which involve preferentially in recA-dependent (between proA and gal, and clockwise from gal) or recA-independent (between leu and proA, and the region counterclockwise from argE) recombination. The seg-2 mutation causes only partial block of both recA-dependent and recA-independent recombination pathways, however it causes dramatic decrease of genetic exchanges leading to the formation of the type II F' plasmids. Both seg- and recA- mutations decrease the frequency of the formation of Tra+ F' transconjugants. The percent of Tra- transconjugants, which remain sensitive to MS2 and Q beta donor specific phages, also drops significantly under the influence of the recA- and seg- alleles. Thus, the recombination involving the F structure in wild type strains and seg- mutants occures preferentially in the points of F outside the regions essential for transfer and sensitivity to male specific phages, while in recA- and recA-ges- strains the points inside these regions (tra operon) frequently involved in F' plasmid looping out. There exist more strict correlation between the fertility and sensitivity to phage Q beta than to phage MS2.