Summary
DNA isolated from coliphage T1 is infective in spheroplasts of E. coli K12/1. The efficiency of the assay amounts to approximately 10-4 plaque-forming units per DNA molecule of 32·106 daltons. A linear relationship between DNA concentration and total phage yield or infective centers, respectively, holds for native DNA. For heat-treated DNA, however, the co-operation of 1.4 molecules is required for successful infection. Beyond a “critical concentration” of about 0.1μg/ml a self-inhibiting effect of infectious T1-DNA is observed. Breakage by shearing and denaturation of the DNA-molecules destroy their infectious activity. Renaturation, however, restores infectivity to 60–90 per cent of the original activity. Heat treatment of T1-DNA in M/5 NCE buffer results in narrow-coiled, mismatched molecules with partially denatured regions. Though the efficiency of infection of such molecules is reduced by about 30 per cent, the critical concentration of T1-DNA shifts to higher values by a factor of ten, thus giving an increase in the total plaque yield of the system. The effect is explained by the transition of native into narrow-coiled molecular configuration.
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Communicated by P. Starlinger
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Hotz, G., Mauser, R. Infectious DNA from coliphage T1. Molec. Gen. Genet. 104, 178–194 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272800
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272800