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Stimulation of RNA chain initiation by the N gene protein of bacteriophage λ

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Summary

RNA transcription from the early leftward operon of the bacteriophage λ was studied. Hybridization to the separated DNA strands of the wild type phage, and to a biotin transducing phage containing viral sequences of only the extreme right or promoter proximal segment of this operon, allowed measurement of the rate of RNA chain initiation with respect to the total amount of RNA transcribed from this operon. Procedures which reduced either the amount of N gene protein synthesized, or its activity, were seen to depress transcription from the promoter proximal region approximately as much as from the entire operon. The RNA made when transcription was depressed did not have a conspiciously lower molecular weight, and the DNA-polymerase-RNA complex contained a correspondingly reduced number of polymerase molecules. All these observations are consistent with, and suggest, that under these conditions the function of the protein specified by gene N is to increase the frequency of initiation of RNA chains.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Biology and Department of Chemistry, University of California, 94 720, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Karen C. Wood & Michael W. Konrad

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  1. Karen C. Wood
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  2. Michael W. Konrad
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Communicated by F. Gros

Publication No. 3249 from the Department of Chemistry, U.C.L.A. No reprints of this paper will be available within the U.S.

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Wood, K.C., Konrad, M.W. Stimulation of RNA chain initiation by the N gene protein of bacteriophage λ. Molec. gen. Genet. 134, 359–366 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337470

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337470

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