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. 1993 Feb;133(2):143–148. doi: 10.1093/genetics/133.2.143

The Effects of Central Asymmetry on the Propagation of Palindromic DNA in Bacteriophage λ Are Consistent with Cruciform Extrusion in Vivo

A F Chalker 1, E A Okely 1, A Davison 1, DRF Leach 1
PMCID: PMC1205305  PMID: 8436264

Abstract

The propagation of λ phages carrying long perfect palindromes has been compared with that of phages carrying imperfect palindromes with small regions of central asymmetry. The perfect palindromes confer a more deleterious phenotype than those with central asymmetry and the severity of the phenotype declines with the length of asymmetry in the range from O to 27 base pairs. These results argue that a center-dependent reaction is involved in the phenotypic effects of palindromic DNA sequences, consistent with the idea that cruciform extrusion occurs in vivo.

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Selected References

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