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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
. 1982 Feb;79(4):1101–1105. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.4.1101

Two alternative mechanisms for initiation of DNA replication forks in bacteriophage T4: priming by RNA polymerase and by recombination.

A Luder, G Mosig
PMCID: PMC345908  PMID: 7041114

Abstract

We show that bacteriophage T4 has two alternative mechanisms to initiate DNA replication; one dependent on Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNA nucleotidyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.6), and one dependent on general recombination. Continued DNA synthesis under recombination-defective conditions was sensitive to rifampin, an inhibitor of RNA polymerase. On the other hand, DNA synthesis accelerated in spite of the present of rifampin if recombination occurred.

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Selected References

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