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Biomedical subjects

N E Murray

Publications and source records attributed to N E Murray.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Characterization of lambdapolA transducing phages; effective expression of the E. coli polA gene.

lambdapolA phages carrying the polA gene in either orientation were isolated and characterised by genetic tests and by assay of the polA gene product after infection of E. coli or induction of lysogens. Lytic infection gave consistently better amplification of DNA polymerase I than that obtained by induction of a lysogen. Optimal amplification of DNA polymerase I was not achieved from the PL promoter of cro-phages, but some advantages accrued when the polA gene was oriented for transcription from the PL promoter of a cro+ phage. lambdapolA phages in which the polA allele was from E. coli strain C600 provided better amplification than phages with the polA allele from E. coli ED8659. Induction of a lambdapolA1 cI857 Qam Sam prophage gave levels of DNA polymerase I approaching 100 times that found in the non-lysogenic Pol+ host. Genetics studies with the lambdapolA phages confirmed the previously postulated orientation of the polA gene within the E. coli genome.

Bacteriophage lambda↗
PubMed1979

Physical characterisation of the "Rac prophage" in E. coli K12.

We confirm the hypothesis of Low (1973) that many E. coli K12 strains contain a prophage (the Rac prophage) located a few minutes clockwise of the trp operon on the genetic map. We have used restriction endonucleases and 32P-labelled probes to construct a physical map of this prophage. Some E. coli K12 strains, including AB1157, have lost the entire prophage, apparently by a specific deletion. This is consistent with prophage excision by site-specific recombination. lambda reverse (lambda rev) phages (Zissler et al., 1971) are recombination proficient derivatives of phage lambda in which the phage recombination functions have been replaced by analogous functions (RecE) derived from the host chromosome (Gottesman et al., 1974; Gillen et al., 1977). Our data support the origin of lambda rev plages by recombination between lambda and the Rac prophage following excision of the Rac prophage from the E. coli chromosome. Important experimental data are included in the Figure legends.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1977

Molecular cloning of fragments of bacteriophage T4 DNA.

Non-glucosylated T4 DNA was digested with R.EcoRI and the resulting fragments covalently joined to lambda vectors. The genetic content of each lambda-T4 hybrid was determined by marker-rescue tests. The isolation of many recombinants containing partial-digestion products of T4 DNA provided the overlapping sequences necessary to order fragments within the T4 genome. The present analyses include parts of the "early" region between genes 42 and 46, and much of the "late" region between genes 50 and 29. T4 cytosine-DNA digested to completion by R.EcoRI was used to identify the fragments of DNA within the lambda-T4 recombinants. The T4 cytosine-DNA was also sensitive to R.HindIII and R.Xho but not to R.BamH1.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1977

Lambdoid phages that simplify the recovery of in vitro recombinants.

Derivatives of phage lambda are described for use as vectors for fragments of DNA generated with the HindIII and EcoRI restriction enzymes. With some vectors, hybrid molecules are recognised by a change from a turbid to a clear plaque morphology resulting from the insertion of a fragment of DNA into the lambda gene coding for the phage regressor. Other vectors contain a central, replaceable fragment of DNA which imparts a readily recognisable phenotype. This central fragment may include either a gene for a mutant transfer RNA (suppressor) or a part of the lacZ gene of E. coli able to complement a lacZ host. The appropriate lacZ host and indicator plates permit the ready distinction between recombinant and vector phages by the colour of the plaques.

Coliphages↗
PubMed1977

Isolation and characterization of a lambdapolA transducing phage.

A plaque-forming lambdapolA phage was isolated from a population of transducing phage made in vitro from Escherichia coli DNA and a phage vector digested with restriction endonuclease HindIII. Amber mutations, in genes whose products are necessary for late protein synthesis (Q) and cell lysis (S), were crossed into the lambdapolA phage. Infection of either polA+ or polA- bacteria with this phage, under conditions permitting DNA replication but preventing phage production and lysis, elevated the levels of DNA polymerase I to between 75- and 100-fold that detected in a wild-type strain. The kinetics of enzyme production suggest that the polA gene is transcribed from its own promoter rather than from any of the well-characterized phage promoters. The fragment of E. coli DNA within the lambdapolA phage comprises approximately 5000 base pairs, sufficient to accommodate the polA gene and one, or two, coding sequences for smaller proteins.

Coliphages↗
PubMed1976

The construction in vitro of transducing derivatives of phage lambda.

Methods are described for the construction of plaque-forming, transducing derivatives of phage lambda, using appropirate receptor genomes and fragments of DNA generated by the restriction enzymes endo R.EcoRI and endo R.HindIII. The general properties of the transducing derivatives are described and discussed. Plaque-forming phages carrying the E. coli trp, his, cysB, thyA, supD, supE, sup F, hsd, tna and lig genes have been isolated.

Chromosomes, Bacterial↗