Skip to main content
Journal of Virology logoLink to Journal of Virology
. 1977 May;22(2):548–552. doi: 10.1128/jvi.22.2.548-552.1977

Transcriptional termination at the end of the early region of bacteriophages T3 and T7 is not affected by polarity suppressors.

M Kiefer, N Neff, M J Chamberlin
PMCID: PMC515745  PMID: 325232

Abstract

Bacterial mutations of known rho genotype (psu-1 through psu-4) were shown to have no effect on transcriptional termination at the termination site at the end of the early region of T3 and T7 DNAs. Transcriptional termination was assayed in these bacterial mutants by comparing the patterns of late protein production produced by T3 and T7 amber I bacteriophage infection. All the rho (psu) mutants tested showed the same pattern of late protein production as the wild-type strain (rho+ or psu+) after T3 or T7 amber I infection. The presence of the mutant rho allele during bacteriophage infection, therefore, did not allow the host RNA polymerase to read through the terminator located at approximately 20% of the T3 and T7 genomes. These results suggest that rho factor may not be involved in reading of the T3 and T7 20% terminators in vivo.

Full text

PDF
548

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Beier H., Golomb M., Chamberlin M. Isolation of recombinants between T7 and T3 bacteriophages and their use in vitro transcriptional mapping. J Virol. 1977 Feb;21(2):753–765. doi: 10.1128/jvi.21.2.753-765.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beier H., Hausmann R. Genetic map of bacteriophage T3. J Virol. 1973 Aug;12(2):417–419. doi: 10.1128/jvi.12.2.417-419.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bertrand K., Korn L., Lee F., Platt T., Squires C. L., Squires C., Yanofsky C. New features of the regulation of the tryptophan operon. Science. 1975 Jul 4;189(4196):22–26. doi: 10.1126/science.1094538. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bonner W. M., Laskey R. A. A film detection method for tritium-labelled proteins and nucleic acids in polyacrylamide gels. Eur J Biochem. 1974 Jul 1;46(1):83–88. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1974.tb03599.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Das A., Court D., Adhya S. Isolation and characterization of conditional lethal mutants of Escherichia coli defective in transcription termination factor rho. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Jun;73(6):1959–1963. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.6.1959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Davis R. W., Hyman R. W. A study in evolution: the DNA base sequence homology between coliphages T7 and T3. J Mol Biol. 1971 Dec 14;62(2):287–301. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90428-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. De Crombrugghe B., Adhya S., Gottesman M., Pastan I. Effect of Rho on transcription of bacterial operons. Nat New Biol. 1973 Feb 28;241(113):260–264. doi: 10.1038/newbio241260a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dunn J. J., McAllister W. T., Bautz E. K. Transcription in vitro of T3 DNA by Escherichia coli and T3 RNA polymerases. Analysis of the products in cell-free protein-synthesizing system. Eur J Biochem. 1972 Sep 25;29(3):500–508. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1972.tb02014.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Dunn J. J., Studier F. W. T7 early RNAs are generated by site-specific cleavages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 May;70(5):1559–1563. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.5.1559. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hyman R. W. Physical mapping of T7 messenger RNA. J Mol Biol. 1971 Oct 28;61(2):369–376. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90386-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Imamoto F., Kano Y. Inhibition of transcription of the tryptophan operon in Escherichia coli by a block in initiation of translation. Nat New Biol. 1971 Aug 11;232(2):169–173. doi: 10.1038/newbio232169a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Inoko H., Imai M. Isolation and genetic characterization of the nitA mutants of Escherichia coli affecting the termination factor rho. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Jan 16;143(2):211–221. doi: 10.1007/BF00266924. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Issinger O. G., Hausmann R. Synthesis of bacteriophage-coded gene products during infection of Escherichia coli with amber mutants of T3 and T7 defective in gene 1. J Virol. 1973 Apr;11(4):465–472. doi: 10.1128/jvi.11.4.465-472.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Korn L. J., Yanofsky C. Polarity suppressors defective in transcription termination at the attenuator of the tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli have altered rho factor. J Mol Biol. 1976 Sep 15;106(2):231–241. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(76)90082-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Korn L. J., Yanofsky C. Polarity suppressors increase expression of the wild-type tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1976 May 15;103(2):395–409. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(76)90319-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Minkley E. G., Pribnow D. Transcription of the early region of bacteriophage T7: selective initiation with dinucleotides. J Mol Biol. 1973 Jun 25;77(2):255–277. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90335-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ratner D. Evidence that mutations in the suA polarity suppressing gene directly affect termination factor rho. Nature. 1976 Jan 15;259(5539):151–153. doi: 10.1038/259151a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Reyes O., Gottesman M., Adhya S. Suppression of polarity of insertion mutations in the gal operon and N mutations in bacteriophage lambda. J Bacteriol. 1976 Jun;126(3):1108–1112. doi: 10.1128/jb.126.3.1108-1112.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Richardson J. P., Grimley C., Lowery C. Transcription termination factor rho activity is altered in Escherichia coli with suA gene mutations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 May;72(5):1725–1728. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.5.1725. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Roberts J. W. Termination factor for RNA synthesis. Nature. 1969 Dec 20;224(5225):1168–1174. doi: 10.1038/2241168a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Schwartz F. M., Zinder N. D. Morphological changes in Escherichia coli infected with the DNA bacteriophage fl. Virology. 1968 Feb;34(2):352–355. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(68)90246-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Schäfer R., Zillig W. Kappa, a novel factor for the arrest of transcription in vitro by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli at specific sites of natural templates. Eur J Biochem. 1973 Mar 1;33(2):201–206. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1973.tb02670.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Studier F. W. Analysis of bacteriophage T7 early RNAs and proteins on slab gels. J Mol Biol. 1973 Sep 15;79(2):237–248. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90003-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Studier F. W. Bacteriophage T7. Science. 1972 Apr 28;176(4033):367–376. doi: 10.1126/science.176.4033.367. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Studier F. W., Maizel J. V., Jr T7-directed protein synthesis. Virology. 1969 Nov;39(3):575–586. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(69)90105-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Yang H., Zubay G. A possible termination factor for transcription in Escherichia coli. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1974 Feb 4;56(3):725–731. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(74)90665-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Virology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES