Comparative Genetics of the T-Even Bacteriophages

A system of amber mutants has been developed for each of the T-even bacteriophages T2 and T6, to complement those already available in T4. In T2 these mutants identify 52 genes, of which 49 are homologous with T4 genes; in T6 they identify 45 genes, of which 42 have T4 homologs, and an additional one which is homologous to a T2 gene not yet identified in T4. In both T2 and T6, recombination between mutants is characterized by considerable negative interference, which is correctable by a mapping function designed for T4. Recombinational maps of T2 and T6 constructed with these mutants have the same gene order and nearly the same gene spacings as in T4, with the exception of the tail fiber region; T2 and T6 appear to lack a localized recombinational expansion of this region found in T4. Homologous gene products from all three phages are in general interchangeable, with the exception of those from two apparently "co-adapted" tail fiber genes, 37 and 38. The general genetic similarity of all three phages suggests that they are analogous to races of higher organisms, retaining the capacity for genetic exchange despite some clear genetic differences and some incipient isolating mechanisms.