Direct cloning

A host cell comprising one or more nucleic acids encoding a 5′ to 3′ exonuclease and means for its expression, one or more nucleic acids encoding RecT and means for its expression, and one or more nucleic acids encoding Red gamma and means for its expression,

• wherein the 5′ to 3′ exonuclease is an N-terminally extended RecE expressed from heterologous DNA that comprises or consists of amino acids 1-866 of SEQ ID NO:1, or a variant of this sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 over the entire length of the 866 amino acid sequence,
• said host cell further comprising one or more nucleic acids encoding Red alpha and Red beta and means for their expression,
• wherein the expression of RecE, RecT, Red alpha, and/or Red beta is controlled by different inducible promoters that may be independently temporally expressed.