Regulation of DNA supercoiling in Escherichia coli.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D I Friedman.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The N gene product of coliphage lambda acts with host factors (Nus) through sites (nut) to render subsequent downstream transcription resistant to a variety of termination signals. These sites, nutR and nutL, are downstream, respectively, from the early promoters PR and PL. Thus a complicated set of molecular interactions are likely to occur at the nut sites. We have selected mutations in the nutR region that reduce the effectiveness of pN in altering transcription initiating at the PR promoter. DNA sequence analysis of three independently selected mutations revealed, in each case, a deletion of a single base pair in the cro gene. Consideration of the effect of such mutations on the extension of translation of cro message into the adjacent downstream nut region led to the identification of a consensus sequence CGCTCT(T)TAA that appears to play a role in the recognition of a host factor, possibly the NusA protein.
Escherichia coli nusB mutants fail to support the activity of a phage lambda gene product, pN, which regulates phage gene expression by influencing transcription termination. We report the identification of the nusB protein on SDS-polyacrylamide gels as a 14,500 dalton protein.
We report the isolation of an Escherichia coli K-12 strain with a mutation, nusE71, that results in a change in ribosomal protein S10. Phage lambda fails to grow in hosts carrying the nusE71 mutation because the lambda N gene product is not active. The N product regulates phage gene expression by altering transcription complexes so that they can overcome termination barriers. This suggests that a ribosomal protein is involved in antitermination of transcription.
We report characteristics of himA mutations of E. coli, selected for their inability to support the site-specific recombination reaction involved in the formation of lysogens by bacteriophage lambda. The himA allele lies at minute 38 on the chromosome. Three noncomplementing and closely linked mutations define the himA locus; one is a nonsense mutation which shows that the gene product is a protein. HimA mutations reduce both lambda integrative and excisive site-specific recombination. Since dominance tests demonstrate that himA mutations are recessive, it is probable that the himA protein is either a necessary component for site-specific recombination or, alternatively, regulates the expression of such a function. HimA mutations exhibit pleiotropic effects. They reduce integration of phages that have different attachment specificities from lambda and inhibit the growth of phage mu. In addition, himA mutations reduce precise excision of integrated phage mu as well as Tn elements. This pleiotropy suggests that the role of himA protein is nonspecific. Since all of the processes affected by himA mutations ultimately rely on protein-DNA interactions, we suggest that himA protein may act in an auxillary manner to facilitate these interactions.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The DNA-dependent in vitro synthesis of Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase requires the presence of a soluble protein referred to as L factor [Kung, H., Spears, C. & Weissbach, H. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 1556-1562]. In the present study, comparison of physical, immunological, and biological properties shows that L factor is the product of the E. coli nusA gene. The nusA gene product is known to interact with bacteriophage lambda N gene protein and to prevent premature termination of transcription from the early lambda promoters. Our results suggest that premature transcription termination in the lac operon of E. coli may also be overcome by the nusA protein.
We report the isolation of four independently selected mutations (scs) in the c17 promoter of phage lambda that reduce or eliminate the promoter activity. The c17 promoter is not normally present in lambda, and has been shown to be generated by a tandem duplication which creates a "Pribnow Box," a heptamer sequence implicated in promoter activity. This sequence is located upstream from the site of transcription initiation and is present, with some variation, in all promoters whose sequences have been determined. Analysis of the c17 duplications carrying the scs mutations reveals that three of these mutants carry single base-pair changes in the most highly conserved base pairs of the Pribnow Box and that the other mutation is a reversion to the wild type sequence in this region (i.e., a loss of the duplicated base pairs).
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The isolation of a temperature phage specific for the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas spheroides is reported. This phage, Rphi-1, establishes a state of lysogeny and can be induced from the prophage state by exposure to mitomycin C or UV irradiation. Mutants of Rphi-1 which grow on a standard laboratory strain (2.4.1) of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides were isolated. Although the original Rphi-1 isolated was chloroform sensitive, the mutant which plates on strain 2.4.1 is chloroform resistant. Rphi-1 does not grow on closely related bacteria, such as Rhodopseudomonas palustris or Rhodopseudomonas capsulata. Rphi-1 mutants forms plaques with the same efficiency whether the plates are incubated under aerobic conditions in the dark or under anaerobic conditions in the light (phototropic conditions).
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.