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. 1971 Jul;107(1):21–33. doi: 10.1128/jb.107.1.21-33.1971

Synthesis of Ribonucleic Acid and Protein in Plasmid-Containing Minicells of Escherichia coli K-12

Kenneth J Roozen 1, Raymond G Fenwick Jr 1, Roy Curtiss III 1
PMCID: PMC246882  PMID: 4935321

Abstract

Unlike the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-deficient minicells produced by F parents, minicells produced by plasmid-containing strains contain significant amounts of plasmid DNA. We examined the ability of plasmid-containing minicells to synthesize ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein. In vivo, minicells produced by F parents are unable to incorporate radioactive precursors into acid-insoluble RNA or protein, whereas minicells produced by F′, R+, or Col+ parents are capable of such synthesis. Using a variety of approaches, including polyacrylamide gel analysis of the RNA species produced and electron microscope autoradiography, we demonstrated that the synthesis observed in minicell preparations is a property of the plasmid-containing minicells and not a result of the few cells (approximately 1 per 106 minicells) contaminating the preparations. That the observed synthesis is of biological importance is suggested by the ability of plasmid-containing minicells to yield viable phage upon infection with T4.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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