  We discuss the integrated kinematic parameters of 20 M51-type binary
galaxies. A comparison of the orbital masses of the galaxies with the sum of
the individual masses suggests that moderately massive dark halos surround
bright spiral galaxies. The relative velocities of the galaxies in binary
systems were found to decrease with increasing relative luminosity of the
satellite. We obtained evidence that the Tully-Fisher relation for binary
members could be flatter than that for local field galaxies. An enhanced star
formation rate in the binary members may be responsible for this effect. In
most binary systems, the direction of orbital motion of the satellite coincides
with the direction of rotation of the main galaxy. Seven candidates for distant
M51-type objects were found in the Northern and Southern Hubble Deep Fields. A
comparison of this number with the statistics of nearby galaxies provides
evidence for the rapid evolution of the space density of M51-type galaxies with
redshift Z. We assume that M51-type binary systems could be formed through the
capture of a satellite by a massive spiral galaxy. It is also possible that the
main galaxy and its satellite in some of the systems have a common cosmological
origin.
