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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1970 Nov;67(3):1534–1541. doi: 10.1073/pnas.67.3.1534

Conformations of the Single-Stranded DNA of Bacteriophage M13*

Arleen B Forsheit 1,2,, Dan S Ray 1,2
PMCID: PMC283387  PMID: 4922292

Abstract

At least two conformations of M13 single-stranded DNA have been demonstrated by measuring differences in sedimentation coefficient and by direct visualization in the electron microscope. Which form is obtained from infected cells and/or intact phage depends on the pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The slower-sedimenting form can be converted to the faster-sedimenting, single-stranded form by low ionic strength, alkali treatment, formamide, or formaldehyde, but not by exposure to 100°C in 1.0 M NaCl. The ability to assume either conformation appears to be a function of the nucleic acid alone. Whether or not these different conformations are of biological significance is still unknown.

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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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