Localization of the metJBLF gene cluster of Escherichia coli in λmet transducing phage

The position of the metJBLF gene cluster in the transducing phage λdmet102 was determined by ligation of its leftmost EcoRI fragment (102-1) to the λBCDEF (nin5) EcoRI fragment of λgtl (λBC) and characterization of the resultant recombinant phage. The new transducing phage carries about 6kb of bacterial DNA which contains the entire met gene cluster including the promoter of its rightmost member metF. Reasonable estimates of the coding capacity required for the four genes indicate that most of the bacterial DNA of the recombinant phage is occupied by the met gene cluster.