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Bacterial genetic factors controlling the suppression of T4 phage Amber mutants

I. Suppression patterns of a collection of E. coli strains

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Summary

To examine the genetic factors of E. coli which determine suppression of the amber (am) mutant phenotype of T4 bacteriophage, a survey was made in which seventythree bacterial strains of diverse genetic backgrounds were tested for their abilities to support the growth of an ensemble of twenty-nine am mutants. The results of this survey were that on the basis of their suppression capacities the bacterial strains fall into sixteen distinct classes, and that on the basis of their abilities to grow on these bacterial strains, the phage mutants fall into eighteen distinct types. This growth pattern revealed the existence of at least six qualitatively different suppressors and two other suppressors exerting quantitative effects. The growth pattern of the am mutant ensemble on Strr bacterial strains, revealed that the presence of streptomycin, increases the efficiency of latent suppressors present in some but not all Strr bacteria. Some T4 phage mutants which had been isolated as am mutants were found not to respond to “true” amber suppressors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, California, USA

    Rebecca Hill Krieg & Gunther S. Stent

  2. Virus Laboratory, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, California, USA

    Rebecca Hill Krieg & Gunther S. Stent

  3. 3530 Grand View Blvd, 90066, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Rebecca Hill Krieg

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  1. Rebecca Hill Krieg
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  2. Gunther S. Stent
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Communicated by P. Starlinger

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Krieg, R.H., Stent, G.S. Bacterial genetic factors controlling the suppression of T4 phage Amber mutants. Molec. Gen. Genet. 103, 274–293 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00273699

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