Skip to main content
Log in

Specificity of polarity suppression in E. coli: Correction of defects in gene N, but not in gene Q, of phage λ

  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The bacterial mutation psuA1, known as (suA) a polarity suppressor, partially relieves all N defects in bacteriophage lambda growth. No evidence is found that psuA1 relieves Q defects in lambda growth. Specific mechanisms of action by the N and Q gene products are discussed.

The psuA1 mutation was also found to suppress IS1 type but not IS2 type insertion mutations in lambda.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adhya, S.L., Gottesman, M., de Crombrugghe, B.: Release of polarity in Escherichia coli by gene N of phage λ: Termination and antitermination of transcription. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 71, 2534 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Adhya, S.L., Gottesman, M., de Crombrugghe, B., Court, D.: Control of transcription termination. In: RNA polymerase, ed. by M. Chamberlin and R. Losick. Cold Spring Harbor Lab. (in press) 1976

  • Appleyard, R.D.: Segregation of λ lysogenicity during bacterial recombination in E. coli K12. Genetics 39, 429 (1954)

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckwith, A.: Restoration of operon activity by suppressors. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.). 76, 162 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand, K., Korn, L., Lee, F., Platt, T., Squires, C. L., Squires, C., Yanofsky, C.: New features of the regulation of the tryptophan operon. Science 189, 22 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brachet, P., Eisen, H., Rambach, A.: Mutations of coliphage λ affecting the expression of replicative functions O and P. Molec. gen. Genet. 108, 266 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunel, F., Davison, J.: Bacterial mutants able to partly suppress the effect of N mutations in bacteriophae λ. Molec. gen. Genet. 136, 167 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler, B., Echols, H.: Regulation of bacteriophage λ development by gene N: Properties of a mutation that bypasses N control of late protein synthesis. Virology 40, 212 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A.: Sensitive mutants of bacteriophage λ. Virology 14, 22 (1961)

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, T., Newton, A.: New polarity suppressors in Escherichia coli: Suppression and messenger RNA stability. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 68, 2962 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Castelazzi, M., Brachet, P., Eisen, H.: Isolation and characterization of deletions in bacteriophage λ residing as prophage in E. coli K12. Molec. gen. Genet. 117, 211 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chakrabarti, S.L., Gorini, L.: A link between streptomycin and rifampicin mutation. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 72, 2084 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Court, D., Campbell, A.: Gene regulation in N mutants of λ bacteriophage. J. Virol. 9, 238 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Couturier, M., Dambly, C.: Activation séquentielle des fonctions tardives chez les bactériophages tempérés. C.R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 270, 428 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Couturier, M., Dambly, C., Thomas, R.: Control of development in temperate bacteriophages. V. Sequential activation of viral functions. Mol. gen. Genet. 120, 428 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • de Combrugghe, B., Adhya, S., Gottesman, M., Pastan, I.: Effect of rho on transcription of bacterial operons. Nature (Lond.) New Biol. 241, 260 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dambly, C., Pereira da Silva, L., Jacob, F.: Sur la réplication du bactrériophage λ. C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 266, 926 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisen, H., Brachet, P., Pereira da Silva, L., Jacob, F.: Regulation of repressor expression in λ. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 66, 855 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Franklin, N.C.: The N operon of Lambda: extent and regulation as observed in fusions to the tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli. In: The bacteriophage lambda, ed. by Hershey, pp. 621. Cold Spring Harbor Lab. 1971

  • Franklin, N.C.: Illegitimate recombination. In: The bacteriophage lambda, ed. by A. Herschey, p. 175. Cold Spring Harbor Lab. 1971

  • Franklin, N.C.: Altered reading of genetic signals fused to the N operon of bacteriophage λ: Genetic evidence for modification of polymerase by the protein product of the N gene. J. molec. Biol. 89, 33 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, D.I., Baumann, M., Barou, L.S.: Comparative effects of bacterial mutations affecting λ N gene expression—I. Isolation and characterization of a nusB mutant. Virology (in press)

  • Friedman, D.I., Jolly, C., Mural, R.: Interference with the expression of the N gene function of phage λ in a mutant of E. coli. Virology 51, 216 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, D.I., Wilgus, G.S., Mural, R.J.: Gene N regulator function of phage λimm21: evidence that a site of N action differs from a site of N recognition. J. molec. Biol. 81, 505 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Georgopoulos, C.P.: A bacterial mutation affecting N λ function. In: The bacteriophage lambda, ed. by Hershey, p. 639. Cold Spring Harbor Lab. 1971

  • Ghysen, A., Pironio, M.: Relationship between the N function of bacteriophage λ and host RNA polymerase. J. molec. Biol. 65, 259 1972

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottesman, M.E., Weisberg, R.A.: Prophage insertion and excision. In: The bacteriophage lambda, ed. by A. Hershey, p. 113. Cold Spring Harbor Lab. 1971

  • Greer, H.: The kil gene of bacteriophage lambda. Virology 66, 589 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinemann, S.F., Spiegelman, W. G.: Role of the gene N product in phage lambda. Cold. Spr. Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 35, 315 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Herskowitz, I., Signer, E.R.: Control of transcription from the r-strand of bacteriophage λ. Cold. Spr. Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 35, 355 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiraga, S., Yanofsky, C.: Hyper-labile messenger RNA in polar mutants of the tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli. J. molec. Biol. 72, 103 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirashima, A., Kaji, A.: Role of elongation factor G and a protein factor in the release of ribosomes from messenger ribonucleic acid. J. biol. Chem. 248, 7580 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofnung, M.: Divergent operons and the genetic structure of the maltose B region in E. coli K12. Genetics 76, 169 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Imamoto, F., Kano, Y.: Inhibition of transcription of the tryptophan operon in Escherichia coli by a block in initiation of translation. Nature (Lond.) New Biol. 232, 169 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Inoko, H., Imai, M.: Isolation and genetic characterization of the nitA mutants of Escherichia coli affecting the termination factor Rho. Mol. gen. Genet. 143, 211 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kourilsky, P., Marcaud, L., Sheldrick, P., Luzzati, D., Gros F.: Studies on the messenger RNA of bacteriophage λ. I. Various species synthesized early after induction of the prophage. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 61, 1013 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, S., Bøvre, K., Guha, A., Hradecna, Z., Maher, Sr. V.M., Szybalski, W.: Orientation and control of transcription in E. coli phage λ. Nature (Lond.) 221, 823 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lecocq, J.P., Dambly, C.: Effet d'une mutation affectant la RNA polymérase sur le comportement du bactériophage λ. Arch. Int. Bioch. Physiol. 81, 383 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lecocq, J.P., Dambly, C.: A bacterial RNA polymerase mutant that renders λ growth independent of the N and cro functions at 42°C. Molec. gen. Genet. 145, 53 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morse, D.E., Guertin, M.: Regulation of mRNA utilization and degradation by amino-acid starvation. Nature (Lond.) New Biol. 232, 165 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morse, D.E., Guertin, M.: Amber SuA mutations which relieve polarity. J. molec. Biol. 63, 605 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa, T., Tomizawa, J.: Replication of bacteriophage DNA. I. Replication of DNA of lambda phage defective in early functions. J. molec. Biol. 38, 217 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • Packman, S., Sly, W.S.: Constitutive λDNA replication by λc17, a regulatory mutant related to virulence. Virology 34, 778 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pereira da Silva, L., Jacob, F.: Etude génétique d'une mutation modifiant la sensibilité à l'immunité chez le bactériophage lambda. Ann. Inst. Pasteur 115, 145 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pero, J.: Location of the phage λ gene responsible for turning off λ-exonuclease synthesis. Virology 40, 65 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, J.P., Grimley, C., Lowery, C.: Transcription termination factor rho activity is altered in Escherichia coli with suA gene mutations. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 72, 1725 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J.W.: Termination factor for RNA synthesis. Nature (Lond.) 224, 1168 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu, N., Hayashi, M.: In vitro transcription of the tryptophan operon integrated into a transducing phage genome. J. molec. Biol. 84, 315 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G.R.: Deletion mutations of the immunity region of coliphage λ. Virology 64, 544 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, N.: A class of rifR RNA polymerase mutations that interfere with the activity of coliphage λN gene product. (in press)

  • Thomas, R., Leurs, C., Dambly, C., Parmentier, D., Lambert, L., Brachet, P., Lefèbvre, N., Mousset, S., Porcheret, J., Szpirer, J., Wauters, D.: Isolation and characterization of new sus (amber) mutants of bacteriophage lambda. Mutation Res. 4, 735 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zissler, J., Signer, E.R., Schaeffer, F.: The role of recombination in growth of bacteriophage lambda. II. Inhibition of growth by prophage P2. In: The bacteriophage lambda, ed. by A. Hershey, p. 469. Cold Spring Harbor Lab. (1971)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by G. Bertani

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dambly, C., Court, D. & Brachet, P. Specificity of polarity suppression in E. coli: Correction of defects in gene N, but not in gene Q, of phage λ. Molec. Gen. Genet. 148, 175–182 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268383

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268383

Keywords

Navigation