ON RECOMBINATION BETWEEN CLOSE AND DISTANT MARKERS IN PHAGE LAMBDA

Franklin W. Stahl ¹ and Mary M. Stahl ¹

¹ Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403

The contribution of parental DNA to progeny phages genetically recombinant for close markers, distant markers, or both simultaneously was studied in biparental and triparental replication-blocked crosses. The data are compatible with the previously proposed view that heterozygous overlaps at the sites of crossing over are sometimes about as long as the lambda chromosome. However, about half of the close marker recombinants have enjoyed triparental interactions, attenuating that conclusion and obscuring predictions of the long overlap model.