Summary
We have studied the interaction of bacteriophages Mu and λ after their simultaneous induction and the influence of λ on Mu-dependent mobilization of the E. coli chromosome by the RP4 plasmid. Heterolysogenic E. coli strains carrying Mu-λ-Mu structures were constructed (Faelen et al. 1975). The Mu and λ prophages are linked in such structures, and the functions of some λ genes are disturbed depending on the integration site. A study of the inhibition of Mu growth by λ after their simultaneous induction was performed and the region of the λ genome (R-H) which contains the gene(s) responsible for the inhibitory effect of λ on Mu was identified.
The efficiency of Mu-dependent mobilization of the bacterial chromosome by RP4 is shown to be an order of magnitude lower in strains with unlinked Mu and λ and an order of magnitude higher in strains with some permutations of the λ prophage than in the control Mu-monolysogenic E. coli strain. Thus the effect of Mu on mobilization depends on the localization of the λ prophage and on the functioning of its genome within a Mu-λ-Mu structure. It is presumed that the mobilization of the bacterial chromosome is stimulated by effective replication of the Mu genome starting from the ori site (origin of replication) of the λ prophage within the Mu-λ-Mu structure.
We propose a model to explain the interaction of Mu and λ in E. coli strains carrying Mu-λ-Mu structures.
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Communicated by D. Goldfarb
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Piruzian, E.S., Koretskaya, N.G. A genetic study of Escherichia coli strains carrying Mu-λ-Mu structures. Mol Gen Genet 190, 133–138 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330335
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00330335