Biomedical subjects

J Baluch

Publications and source records attributed to J Baluch.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1980

Induction of prophage lambda without amplification of recA protein.

The requirement for amplified synthesis of recA protein in the UV-promoted induction of coliphage lambda was studied. We confirmed that a low concentration of rifampicin inhibited specifically the increased synthesis of recA protein after an inducing treatment (Satta and Pardee, 1978). Under these conditions, using an optimal dose of UV, E. coli lysogens were induced, producing active phage. The drug delayed the onset of induction and with increasing concentrations affected the yield of phage, but all the cells lysed. The results established that induction can proceed without amplification of recA protein synthesis.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

PubMed1980

Synthesis of recA protein and induction of bacteriophage lambda in single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid-binding protein mutants of Escherichia coli.

We investigated the capacity of Escherichia coli mutants defective in the single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-binding protein to amplify the synthesis of the recA protein, induce prophage lambda, and degrade their DNA after treatment with ultraviolet radiation, mitomycin C, or bleomycin. The thermosensitive ssbA1 strain induced recA protein and lambda phage normally at 30 degrees C, but no induction was observed at 42 degrees C when ultraviolet radiation or mitomycin C was used. The lexC113 mutant did not amplify recA protein synthesis or induce phage lambda at either 30 or 42 degrees C with those agents. Bleomycin was able to elicit induction of recA and phage lambda in both mutants at any temperature. After induction with ultraviolet radiation at the elevated temperature, no DNA degradation was observed for 40 min, but at later times there was increased degradation in the lexC113 strain, compared with the wild type, and even greater degradation in the ssbA1 mutant. We discuss the role of single-strand DNA-binding protein in induction and the possibility that the lexC product may exert its influence on recA and lambda induction at the level of the single-strand DNA gap.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1978

Interaction of bacteriophage lambda repressor with nonoperator DNA containing single-strand gaps.

In direct binding assays, purified lambdaind+ repressor displayed high affinity for nonoperator DNA containing single-strand gaps. Its affinity for this same DNA but completely double-stranded, nicked, or denatured was considerably lower. In contrast, purified lambdaind- repressor had 1/10th the affinity for the gapped DNA, a level comparable to that of purified lac repressor. In the presence of limiting amounts of ind+ repressor, nonoperator DNA containing gaps could be shown to compete effectively with lambda DNA for binding of repressor. A previous model of lambda induction [Sussman, R. & Ben-Zeev, H. (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72, 1973--1976], based on the assumption that this phenomenon involves the binding of repressor to lesions in the host DNA, is reevaluated in the light of the data reported here.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1978

Correlation between UV dose requirement for lambda bacteriophage induction and lambda repressor concentration.

Escherichia coli K-12 wild type and a uvrA mutant derivative were used to construct isogenic strains bearing one, two, three, or more phage lambda cI genomes and containing increasing concentration of lambda repressor as measured by in vitro operator DNA-binding assays. The survival and phage induction in response to UV irradiation were determined. In both strains, dose-response relationships were obtained as a function of the cellular repressor concentration. The uvrA lysogens required one-tenth the UV fluence of the wild-type counterparts for induction. Lysogenic strains containing plasmids that overproduce the lambdaind+ repressor and the same lysogens with plasmids overproducing the lambdaind- repressor displayed the same survival curves as the nonlysogenic parental strain; however, only the former produced infectious centers (at a frequency of 2 x 10(-3) to 5 x 10(-4) in response to radiation.

Coliphages↗