Isolation of a specialized transducing bacteriophage lambda carrying the polC locus of Escherichia coli.

We have isolated a specialized transducing phage carrying the polC locus of E. coli K-12. A strain of E. coli lacking the lambda attachment site was infected with bacteriophage lambda. Lysogens carrying lambda at the tonA locus were isolated by selecting lambda-immune, T5-resistant strains. Transducing phages of dapC, dapD and polC, which map within 0.2 min of tonA, were obtained in lysates prepared from two of the lysogens. The isolated phage, lambdadpolC, is defective but can transduce four different polC temperature-sensitive mutants. After lysogenation with the transducing phage, DNA polymerase III activity is restored to normal levels in extracts of a polC strain lacking polymerase III activity. However, attempts to obtain increased levels of DNA polymerase III in extracts of induced lysogens carrying lambdadpolC have been unsuccessful.