Summary
A mutant strain of Escherichia coli suppressed a frameshift and some UAG, UAA, and UGA mutants of bacteriophage T4 at 37° C but not at 31° C. This suppression was inhibited by the addition of thymine or thymidine to the medium used to test phage growth. Furthermore, the suppressor strain required thymine or thymidine for growth on minimal medium at 43° C and if this auxotrophy was removed by reversion or recombination the strain no longer suppressed. These results suggest a link between thymidine nucleotide biosynthesis and suppression.
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Communicated by G. O'Donovan
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Cheung, P.K., Herrington, M.B. Thymine inhibits suppression by an Escherichia coli nonsense and frameshift suppressor. Mol Gen Genet 186, 217–220 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331852
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331852