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Evolution of immunity and host chromosome integration site of P2-like coliphages.

The amount and distribution of variation in the genomic region containing the genes in the lytic-lysogenic genetic switch and the sequence that determines the integration site into the host chromosome were analyzed for 38 P2-like phages from Escherichia coli. The genetic switch consists of two convergent mutually exclusive promoters, Pe and Pc, and two repressors, C and Cox. The immunity repressor C blocks the early Pe promoter, leading to the establishment of lysogeny. The Cox repressor blocks expression of Pc, allowing lytic growth. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the C and Cox proteins were distributed into seven distinct classes. The phylogenetic relationship differed between the two proteins, and we showed that homologous recombination plays a major role in creating alterations in the genetic switch, leading to new immunity classes. Analyses of the host integration site for these phages resulted in the discovery of a previously unknown site, and there were at least four regular integration sites. Interestingly, we found no case where phages of the same immunity class had different host attachment sites. The evolution of immunity and integration sites is complex, since it involves interactions both between the phages themselves and between phages and hosts, and often, both regulatory proteins and target DNA must change.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Short-range and long-range context effects on coliphage T4 endonuclease II-dependent restriction.

Synthetic sites inserted into a plasmid were used to analyze the sequence requirements for in vivo DNA cleavage dependent on bacteriophage T4 endonuclease II. A 16-bp variable sequence surrounding the cleavage site was sufficient for cleavage, although context both within and around this sequence influenced cleavage efficiency. The most efficiently cleaved sites matched the sequence CGRCCGCNTTGGCNGC, in which the strongly conserved bases to the left were essential for cleavage. The less-conserved bases in the center and in the right half determined cleavage efficiency in a manner not directly correlated with the apparent base preference at each position; a sequence carrying, in each of the 16 positions, the base most preferred in natural sites in pBR322 was cleaved infrequently. This, along with the effects of substitutions at one or two of the less-conserved positions, suggests that several combinations of bases can fulfill the requirements for recognition of the right part of this sequence. The replacements that improve cleavage frequency are predicted to influence helical twist and roll, suggesting that recognition of sequence-dependent DNA structure and recognition of specific bases are both important. Upon introduction of a synthetic site, cleavage at natural sites within 800 to 1,500 bp from the synthetic site was significantly reduced. This suggests that the enzyme may engage more DNA than its cleavage site and cleaves the best site within this region. Cleavage frequency at sites which do not conform closely to the consensus is, therefore, highly context dependent. Models and possible biological implications of these findings are discussed.

Bacteriophage T4↗

Molecular mechanism of heat shock-provoked disassembly of the coliphage lambda replication complex.

We have found previously that, in contrast to the free O initiator protein of lambda phage or plasmid rapidly degraded by the Escherichia coli ClpP/ClpX protease, the lambdaO present in the replication complex (RC) is protected from proteolysis. However, in cells growing in a complete medium, a temperature shift from 30 to 43 degrees C resulted in the decay of the lambdaO fraction, which indicated disassembly of RC. This process occurred due to heat shock induction of the groE operon, coding for molecular chaperones of the Hsp60 system. Here we demonstrate that an increase in the cellular concentration of GroEL and GroES proteins is not in itself sufficient to cause RC disassembly. Another requirement is a DNA gyrase-mediated negative resupercoiling of lambda plasmid DNA, which counteracts DNA relaxation and starts to dominate 10 min after the temperature upshift. We presume that RC dissociates from lambda DNA during the negative resupercoiling, becoming susceptible to the subsequent action of GroELS and ClpP/ClpX proteins. In contrast to lambda cro+, in lambda cro- plasmid-harboring cells, the RC reveals heat shock resistance. After temperature upshift of the lambda crots plasmid-harboring cells, a Cro repressor-independent control of lambda DNA replication and heat shock resistance of RC are established before the period of DNA gyrase-mediated negative supercoiling. We suggest that the tight binding of RC to lambda DNA is due to interaction of RC with other DNA-bound proteins, and is related to the molecular basis of the lambda cro- plasmid replication control.

ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activitie↗

Analysis of coliphage lambda mutations that affect Q gene activity: puq, byp, and nin5.

We describe in this paper the isolation and characterization of a class of mutations, designated puq, that allow phage lambda to grow better under conditions that limit the synthesis of the phage Q gene product. These mutations were located between phage genes P and Q, a region of the lambda chromosome containing two gene N-independent mutations, nin5 and byp, that we also show to be puq mutations. Whereas the puq-3 and puq-16 mutations probably map under the nin5 deletion, the byp mutation maps between this deletion and the Q lambda-Q phi 80 crossover point. These mutations likely act by increasing the synthesis of the Q gene product. We demonstrate that the clear-plaque phenotype and reduced lysogenization frequency of byp mutants depend on increased Q gene activity. The significance of these results in understanding how transcription proceeds through the P-Q region of the lambda genome is discussed.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Frequent site-specific deletion of coliphage lambda murine sarcoma virus recombinants and its use in the identification of a retrovirus integration site.

Stocks of hybrid lambda phages carrying the complete integrated provirus of either m1 or HT1 Moloney murine sarcoma virus, as well as flanking host sequences, frequently contain significant numbers of phages carrying a specific deletion. This deletion arises from a recombination event between the terminally repeated sequences in the provirus that deletes the unique Moloney murine sarcoma virus sequences bracketed by the terminally repeated sequences. Physical mapping has shown that the deletion phage retains one complete copy of the terminally repeated sequence and the flanking mink host sequences. One such deletion, lambdaHT1r+, was used to characterize a mink genomic DNA sequence that contains an HT1 Moloney murine sarcoma virus integration site. This integration site sequence from normal mink cells was also cloned into phage lambda. An analysis of the heteroduplexes between the integration site and the lambdaHT1r+ deletion indicated that no major rearrangement of host sequences occurred upon integration of the Moloney murine sarcoma provirus.

Animals↗

Requirement for a fluid host cell membrane in injection of coliphage T5 DNA.

Injection of T5 first-step-transfer DNA was prevented at 29 degrees C, after adsorption to an unsaturated fatty acid mutant grown on elaidate (phase transition at 35 degrees C). Local anesthetics, which increase membrane fluidity, did not inhibit injection above transition temperature and could even reverse the inhibition observed at 29 degrees C on elaidate cells.

Anesthetics, Local↗

Aberrant regulation of synthesis and degradation of viral proteins in coliphage lambda-infected UV-irradiated cells and in minicells.

The patterns of bacteriophage lambda proteins synthesized in UV-irradiated Escherichia coli cells and in anucleate minicells are significantly different; both systems exhibit aberrations of regulation in lambda gene expression. In unirradiated cells or cells irradiated with low UV doses (less than 600 J/m2), regulation of lambda protein synthesis is controlled by the regulatory proteins CI, N, CII, CIII, Cro, and Q. As the UV dose increases, activation of transcription of the cI, rexA, and int genes by CII and CIII proteins fails to occur and early protein synthesis, normally inhibited by the action of Cro, continues. After high UV doses (greater than 2,000 J/m2), late lambda protein synthesis does not occur. Progression through the sequence of regulatory steps in lambda gene expression is slower in infected minicells. In minicells, there is no detectable cII- and cIII-dependent synthesis of CI, RexA, or Int proteins and inhibition of early protein synthesis by Cro activity is always incomplete. The synthesis of early b region proteins is not subject to control by CI, N, or Cro proteins, and evidence is presented suggesting that, in minicells, transcription of the early b region is initiated at a promoter(s) within the b region. Proteolytic cleavage of the regulatory proteins O and N and of the capsid proteins C, B, and Nu3 is much reduced in infected minicells. Exposure of minicells to very high UV doses before infection does not completely inhibit late lambda protein synthesis.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

The transcriptional switch of bacteriophage WPhi, a P2-related but heteroimmune coliphage.

Phage WPhi is a member of the nonlambdoid P2 family of temperate phages. The DNA sequence of the whole early-control region and the int and attP region of phage WPhi has been determined. The phage integration site was located at 88.6 min of the Escherichia coli K-12 map, where a 47-nucleotide sequence was found to be identical in the host and phage genomes. The WPhi Int protein belongs to the Int family of site-specific recombinases, and it seems to have the same arm binding recognition sequence as P2 Int, but the core sequence differs. The transcriptional switch contains two face-to-face promoters, Pe and Pc, and two repressors, C and Cox, controlling Pe and Pc, respectively. The early Pe promoter was found to be much stronger than the Pc promoter. Furthermore, the Pe transcript was shown to interfere with Pc transcription. By site-directed mutagenesis, the binding site of the immunity repressor was located to two direct repeats spanning the Pe promoter. A point mutation in one or the other repeat does not affect repression by C, but when it is included in both, C has no effect on the Pe promoter. The Cox repressor efficiently blocks expression from the Pc promoter, but its DNA recognition sequence was not evident. Most members of the P2 family of phages are able to function as helpers for satellite phage P4, which lacks genes encoding structural proteins and packaging and lysis functions. In this work it is shown that P4 E, known to function as an antirepressor by binding to P2 C, also turns the transcriptional switch of WPhi from the lysogenic to the lytic mode. However, in contrast to P2 Cox, WPhi Cox is unable to activate the P4 Pll promoter.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression of the denV gene of coliphage T4 in UV-sensitive rad mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A plasmid containing the denV gene from bacteriophage T4, under the control of the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase I (ADC1) promoter, conferred a substantial increase in UV resistance in the UV-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants rad1-2 and rad3-2. The UV resistance of the denV+ yeast cells was cell cycle dependent and correlated well with the level of the denV gene product as measured by immunoblotting and by a photoreversal assay for pyrimidine dimer-DNA glycosylase activity.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

Transport of coliphage PRD1 in a surface flow constructed wetland.

A tracer study was conducted in a 3-ha surface flow constructed wetland to analyze transport performance of PRD1, an enteric virus model. The convection-dispersion equation (CDE), including a first-order reaction model, adequately simulated transport performance of PRD1 in the wetland under an average hydraulic loading rate of 82 mm/d. Convective velocity (v) and longitudinal dispersion coefficient (D) were estimated by modeling a conservative tracer (bromide) pulse through the wetland. Both PRD1 and bromide were simultaneously added to the entering secondary treated wastewater effluent. The mass of bromide and PRD1 recovered was 76 and 16%, respectively. The PRD1 decay rate was calculated to be 0.3/day. The findings of this study suggest that the CDE model and analytical moment equations represent a suitable option to characterize virus transport performance in surface flow constructed wetlands.

Bacteriophage PRD1↗