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PubMed1977

Functions of gene C and gene D products of bacteriophage phi X 174.

Phage-related materials existing in cells infected with various mutants of bacteriophage phi chi 174 were investigated. A novel species of replicative-form (RF) DNA was found in cells infected with a phage mutant of gene B, C, D, F, or G. This species, called RFI, sedimented at a position between RFI and RFII in a neutral sucrose gradient. It was converted to RFI upon denaturation in alkali, denaturation in formamide and subsequent renaturation, or RNase treatment at low ionic strength. In cells infected with a phage mutant of gene C, RFI was derived from pulse-labeled RFII after a short chase. TLLS INFECTED WITH A MUTANT OF GENE B, D, or F. A possible function of the C gene product of phi chi 174 could be to prevent the conversion of RFII to RFI, thereby maintaining the availability of RFII to act as the template for single-stranded viral DNA synthesis. A protein complex containing no DNA, which sedimented with an S value of 108 in a sucrose gradient and contained virion proteins F, G, and H, and nonvirion protein D, was found in cells infected with the gene C mutant. A possible function of protein D was considered as a scaffolding protein for assembly of phage structural proteins.

Capsid↗
PubMed1977

Structure of hepatitis B Dane particle DNA before and after the Dane particle DNA polymerase reaction.

DNA isolated from the hepatitis B antigen form known as the Dane particle was examined by electron microscopy before and after the endogenous Dane particle DNA polymerase reaction. The most frequently occurring form was an untwisted circular double-stranded DNA molecule approximately 1 mum in length. Less frequently occurring forms included circular DNA of approximately unit length and having one or more small single-stranded regions, similar circular molecules with one or more tails either shorter or longer than 1 mum in length, and very small circular molecules with tails. There was no increase in frequency or length of tails after a DNA polymerase reaction, suggesting that tails were not formed during this reaction. The mean length of circular molecules increased by 23% when DNA was spread in formamide compared with aqueous spreading, suggesting that single-stranded regions are present in most of the molecules. The mean length of circular molecules obtained from aqueous spreading increased by 27% after a Dane particle DNA polymerase reaction. This indicates that single-stranded regions were converted to double-stranded DNA during the reaction.

DNA, Circular↗
PubMed1977

Replication process of the parvovirus H-1. VII. Electron microscopy of replicative-form DNA synthesis.

The geometry of replicative form (RF) DNA synthesis of the H-1 parvovirus was studied with the electron microscope using formamide or aqueous variations of the Kleinschmidt spreading procedure. H-1 DNA was isolated from human or hamster cells infected with a temperature-sensitive mutant, ts1, which is deficient in progeny single-stranded DNA synthesis at the restrictive temperature (S.L. Rhode, 1976), thus minimizing possible confusion between RF and progeny DNA replicative intermediates (RIs). The purity of the isolated H-1 DNA, as determined by gel electrophoresis, ethidium bromide staining, autoadiography, and digestion with endo R-EcoRI, was high. H-1 RF DNA'S WERE LINEAR DOUBLE-STRANDED MOLECULES, 1.53 MUM IN LENGTH. H-1 RIs of RF DNA replication were double-stranded, Y-shaped molecules, with the same length as RF DNAs. The replication origin was localized no more than 0.15 genome lengths from one end of the RF DNA, with replication proceeding toward the other end at a uniform rate. Similar RF and RI molecules of dimer size were also observed. The length of H-1 single-stranded DNA extracted from purified virions was measured relative to that of phiX174 and it had a very similar contour length, so that the molecular weight of H-1 single-stranded DNA would be at least 1.48 X 10(6) to 1.59 X 10(6) (Berkowitz and Day, 1974).

Cell Line↗
PubMed1977

Replication process of the parvovirus H-1. VIII. Partial denaturation mapping and localization of the replication origin of H-1 replicative-form DNA with electron microscopy.

Partial denaturation mapping, restriction endonuclease digestion, and electron microscopy were used to determine which end of the linear duplex replicative-form (RF) DNA molecule contains the origin of RF replication for the parvovirus H-1. This origin was localized within approximately 300 base pairs of the arbitrarily designated right end of the RF DNA, in the EcoRI or HaeII-A fragment. Based on denaturation behavior in formamide, the right end was also found to have a relatively high guanine plus cytosine content, whereas the region adjacent to the left terminus of the RF DNA molecule was adenine plus thymine rich.

DNA Replication↗
PubMed1977

Structure of the inverted terminal repetition of adenovirus type 2 DNA.

Several secondary structure features involving the ends of single strands of adenovirus type 2 DNA have been studied by electron microscopy by both the gene 32-ethidium bromide technique and a modification of the standard formamide-cytochrome c technique. A duplex stem of length 115 +/- 10 nucleotide pairs due to pairing between the two members of the inverted terminal repetition is observed in the single-stranded circles that form upon annealing single-stranded linear molecules. This duplex stem is shown to lie at the ends of the DNA by using several reference markers: (i) a newly discovered secondary structure feature (a loop of length ca. 500 nucleotides with a 20-nucleotide pair duplex stem) that maps 73% of the full length from the left end of the molecule and (ii) a duplex region due to a hybridized restriction fragment. There is also some secondary structure within each end of linear single strands. There is some variation in the morphology of the end strucures, and we propose that these involve base pairing, as in a tRNA clover leaf, rather than an exact single hairpin-type inverted repeat. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that there is a foldback structure at the 3' ends of the DNA that functions as a primer for the initiation of replication.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1977

RNA synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus. VII. Complete separation of the mRNA's of vesicular stomatitis virus by duplex formation.

Full-length virion RNA and complementary mRNA's of vesicular stomatitis virus can be annealed to each other, digested with RNases, and then separated as five unique duplex RNA molecules on polyacrylamide slab gels. Similar RNA duplexes were detected whether mRNA or virion RNA was the radioactive component and whether the mRNA was synthesized in vitro or in vivo. The sharp banding pattern of these RNA molecules was dependent on treatment with RNase T2, suggesting that removal of poly(A) is necessary. Identification of the coding region contained in each RNA duplex was based on their previous identification as single-stranded mRNA on formamide-containing, polyacrylamide gels. Because the two smallest mRNA'S had not been previously separated, their identification was based on their in vitro transcriptional gene order. In the order of increasing mobilities on the slab gels, the RNA duplexes are identified as the hybrid of the region of the genome RNA hybridized to the complementary mRNA coding for the large protein, the glycoprotein, the nucleocapsid protein, the core-associated NS protein, and the matrix protein (L,G,N,NS, and M). Several lines of evidence support the presence of undegraded complete mRNA, excluding poly(A), in these RNA duplexes. Also, the two smallest mRNA's, separated by duplex formation, were denatured, and their individual oligonucleotide fingerprints were determined. From chemical length determinations, the molecular weights of the mRNA, minus poly(A), are 2.78 X 10(5) and 2.5 X 10(5), respectively, for the mRNA's of the NS and M proteins.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1977

Amount and distribution of virus-specific sequences in giant RNA molecules isolated from polyoma-infected mouse kidney cells.

A two-step hybridization with polyoma DNA was used to study the composition of giant RNA molecules synthesized in mouse kidney cells late in productive infection by polyoma virus. Giant molecules longer than a complete transcript of the polyoma genome were purified from cells that had been pulse-labeled for 30 min with [3H]uridine and annealed, under mild conditions (50% formamide, 37 degrees C), with polyoma DNA loaded on nitrocellulose filters. Hybridized RNA (6 to 7% of the entire population of 3H-labeled molecules and up to 15% of the molecules containing polyadenylic acid [poly(A)]] was eluted and annealed a second time with polyoma DNA under more stringent conditions. In this second step, 75% of the 3H-labeled RNA formed an RNase-resistant hybrid. Under the same conditions, complementary RNA hybridized with polyoma DNA to a maximal extent of 80%. Since the difference between 75 and 80% is within the experimental error of the hybridization assay, it is inferred that the giant molecules selected by the first hybridization may consist entirely of virus-specific sequences or contain, at the most, a minor fraction of nonviral sequences. To examine the possibility that such nonviral sequences are clustered at the 3'-terminus of these molecules, poly(A)+ giant RNA, which had not been preselected by hybridization with polyoma DNA, was fragmented by a limited alkaline hydrolysis. Fragments linked to the poly(A) segment were separated from the rest of the cleavage products. A one-step hybridization with polyoma DNA revealed that both fractions contain 8 to 10% of virus-specific sequences. These results indicate that the 3'-termini of the poly(A)+ polyoma-specific giant RNA molecules consist of viral rather than nonviral sequences.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Species identification and genome mapping of cytoplasmic adenovirus type 2 RNAs synthesized late in infection.

Adenovirus type 2 cytoplasmic RNAs synthesized late in productive infection were resolved by electrophoresis on formamide gels. Regions of the adenovirus 2 genome specifying RNAs of distinct size were determined by hybridization to specific DNA fragments generated by cleavage with endo R.EcoRI and endo R.SmaI. From these studies 13 distinct viral RNA species were identified. A 26S to 28S size class and a 21S to 23S size class were each found to consist of four distinct RNA species. Three RNA species were identified in a 16S to 18S size class, and a fourth size class, 11S to 13S, was resolved into two components. The SmaI-D region (0.38 to 0.51 on the unit genome) and the EcoRI-F, D region (0.70 to 0.83) of the genome were found to code for multiple transcripts. Three RNAs (28S, 22S, and 18S) are specified by SmaI-D, and four components, 28S, 22S, 18S, and 16S, are encoded by EcoRI-F,D. The RNA represented by each set of multiple transcripts exceeds the coding capacity of the respective region, and the species within each set of RNAs appear to contain common sequences. The relationship between the cytoplasmic RNA species synthesized at late times and early cytoplasmic RNAs was determined by hybridization-inhibition experiments. The multiple transcripts encoded by the EcoRI-D fragment were found to contain sequences that are present in early cytoplasmic RNA. These studies enabled preparation of a map which accounts for transcription of approximately 67% of the r strand of the adenovirus 2 genome.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1978

Characterization and classification of virus particles associated with hepatitis A. II. Type and configuration of nucleic acid.

Virus particles banding at 1.34 g/ml in CsCl and sedimenting at 160S in sucrose gradients were isolated from fecal specimens of patients suffering from hepatitis. In the presence of 4 M urea and about 90% formamide, these particles released linear nucleic acid molecules of the kinked appearance characteristic of single-stranded RNA or single-stranded DNA. They could be distinguished from the nucleic acid of phage lambda added to the preparation as a marker for double-stranded configuration. Experiments in which the virus particles under investigation were incubated at pH 12.9 at 50 degrees C for 30 min revealed that their nucleic acid molecules were hydrolyzed as readily as the RNA genome of poliovirus type 2 analyzed in parallel. Both the single-stranded DNA of phage phiX174 and that of parvovirus LuIII, however, proved unaffected by this treatment, and the double-stranded DNA of phage lambda was denatured to single-stranded molecules. It was concluded, therefore, that the virus of human hepatitis A contains a linear genome of single-stranded RNA and has to be classified with the picornaviruses.

Coliphages↗
PubMed1978

Polyoma virus has three late mRNA's: one for each virion protein.

Polyoma virus mRNA, isolated from the cytoplasm of 3T6 cells late after infection and purified by hybridization to HpaII fragment 3 of polyoma virus DNA, was separated on 50% formamide-containing sucrose density gradients, and the fractionated RNA was recovered and translated in vitro. Analysis of the cell-free products showed that the minor virion protein VP3 was synthesized from an mRNA sedimenting at approximately 18S betweeen the 19S VP2 mRN and the 16S VP1 mRNA. Other experiments showed that the VP2 and VP3 can be labeled with formyl methionine from initiator tRNA. We conclude that there are three late polyoma virus mRNA's, each directing the synthesis of only one viral capsid protein.

Capsid↗
PubMed1978

Cell-free synthesis of simian virus 40 T-antigens.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and tryptic peptide fingerprint analysis of the proteins made in a cell-free system derived from L-cells and immunoprecipitated with simian virus 40 (SV40) anti-T serum demonstrated that both SV40 large-T and small-T antigens are synthesized in vitro in response to mRNA isolated from productively infected CV1 CELLS. Sucrose density centrifugation in gradients containing 85% formamide showed that the mRNA's for both forms of T-antigen sediment at about 17.5S, with the mRNA for small-t sedimenting marginally, but reproducibly, ahead of the mRNA for large-T. Hybridization experiments using restriction endonuclease fragments Hae III-E and Hind II/III-B showed that all fractions active in the cell-free synthesis of both forms of T-antigen hybridized equally to both fragments. This suggests that the mRNA's for SV40 T-antigens are at least partly virus coded and that the bulk of the early SV40 mRNA contains sequence information from both ends of the early region. The data are consistent with the suggestion that the large-T mRNA is spliced. SV40 complementary RNA (the product of transcription of SV40 DNA using Escherichia coli RNA polymerase) was also translated in the L-cell system and gave two families of polypeptides which specifically immunoprecipitate with anti-T serum. One family (the small-t family) includes a polypeptide indistinguishable by gel electrophoresis and tryptic peptide fingerprinting from small-t isolated from cells. The other family (the 60K family) has a major component with molecular weight approximately 60,000 and includes other polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from approximately 14,000 to about 70,000. The 60K family has petides in common with large-T but not with small-T. Together, the peptides of the small-t and 60K families account for virtually all of the methionine peptides of SV40 large-T. We conclude from these results (i) that small-t is probably entirely, and large-T at least predominantly, virus coded; (ii) that the small-t and 60K families represent the translation products of two different portions of the early region of SV40 DNA (approximately 0.65 to 0.55 map units and 0.54 to 0.17 map units); and (iii) that although most, if not all, of the large-T and small-t peptides are present in the cell-free product, some feature of sequence arrangement of SV40 complementary RNA prevents the translation of full-length large-T and results instead in the synthesis of fragments. We suggest that the absence of a splice in the complementary RNA is responsible for this result.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1978

Transcription of the transforming region of adenovirus type 5 in a rat cell line transformed by a small restriction fragment.

The fraction of the adenovirus type 5 genome expressed as mRNA in a rat cell line, 5RK, transformed by the HsuI-G restriction fragment was analyzed by saturation hybridization using separated strands of 32P-labeled HindIII-G fragment. It was found that 45 to 50% of G fragment (about 8 X 10(5) daltons) is expressed as mRNA. The size of polyadenylic acid-terminated virus-specific cytoplasmic and nuclear RNA was determined by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels containing 98% formamide, followed by hybridization of gel slices with viral DNA. The major virus-specific RNA species present in the cytoplasm is about 14S, whereas the major virus-specific RNA present in the nucleus is 30 to 32S. The large size of nuclear virus-specific RNA suggests that host sequences are covalently linked to the viral transcript.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1979

Evolutionary relationships of the primate papovaviruses: base sequence homology among the genomes of simian virus 40, stump-tailed macaque virus, and SA12 virus.

Physical maps of the genomes of the two newly discovered primate papovaviruses, SA12 and stump-tailed macaque virus (STMV), were generated by restriction endonuclease analysis. The base sequence homologies among the genomes of SA12, stump-tailed macaque virus, and simian virus 40 (SV40) were studied by heteroduplex analysis. Heteroduplexes between SA12 and SV40 DNAs and stump-tailed macaque virus and SV40 DNAs were constructed and mounted for electron microscopy in various amounts of formamide to achieve a range of effective temperatures. At each effective temperature, the regions of duplex DNA in the heteroduplexes were measured and localized on the SV40 physical and functional maps. By analyzing the data from this study and rom our previous study (N. Newell, C. J. Lai, G. Khoury, and T. J. Kelly Jr., J. Virol. 25:193-201, 1978) on the base sequence homology between the genomes of BK virus and SV40, some general conclusions have been drawn concerning the evolutionary relationships among the genomes of the primate papovaviruses. The extent of homology among the viral genomes does not reflect the phylogenetic relationships of their hosts. At comparable effective temperatures Tm - 33 degrees C), the heteroduplexes between the DNAs of BK virus and SV40 contained the largest amount of duplex (about 90%). The heteroduplexes made between SA12 and SV40 DNAs were slightly less homologous, containing about 80% duplex. The heteroduplexes made between SV40 and stump-tailed macaque virus DNAs were only 20% duplex under the same conditions. When the various heteroduplexes were mounted for microscopy at effective temperatures greater than Tm - 33 degrees C, the fraction of the duplex DNA decreased in each case, indicating the existence of considerable base mismatching in the homologous regions. When specific coding or noncoding regions of the viral genomes were compared, the data indicated that the extent of sequence divergence differed markedly from one region to another. In all the heteroduplexes studied, there were two regions, located near the junctions between early and late regions on the SV40 map, which were essentially nonhomologous. All of the heteroduplexes studied showed significantly greater homology in the late region than in early region. Within the late region, the sequences coding for the major capsid polypeptide, VP1, were the most highly conserved.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1979

New procedure for isolation of Rous sarcoma virus-specific RNA from infected cells.

The use of mercurated "strong stop" complementary DNA (complementary to the 5'-terminal 101 nucleotides of Rous sarcoma virus RNA) in the isolation of virus-specific RNA from infected chicken embryo fibroblasts is described. Strong stop Rous sarcoma virus complementary DNA was mercurated chemically, and, as a result of the low complexity of this DNA, short hybridization times (up to 15 min) and heating in the absence of formamide were found to be adequate conditions for the isolation of virus-specific RNA. The purity of the isolated RNA was demonstrated by analysis of labeled RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The isolated RNA could be translated in the in vitro protein synthesis system derived from rabbit reticulocytes, and an analysis of polypeptides programmed by isolated RNA before and after immunoprecipitation further demonstrated both the purity of the isolated mRNA and the quantitative nature of the isolation procedure.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Alternate capping mechanisms for transcription of spring viremia of carp virus: evidence for independent mRNA initiation.

Two alternate mechanisms of mRNA capping for spring viremia of carp virus have been observed. Under normal reaction conditions, a ppG residue of the capping GTP is transferred to a pA moiety of the 5' termini of mRNA transcripts. However, in reaction conditions where GppNHp is used instead of GTP, an alternate capping mechanism occurs whereby a pG residue of the capping GTP is transferred to a ppA moiety of the transcripts. The first mechanism is identical to that described previously for vesicular stomatitis virus (G. Abraham, D. P. Rhodes, and A. K. Banerjee, Nature [London] 255:37-40, 1975; A. K. Banerjee, S. A. Moyer, and D. P. Rhodes, Virology 61:547-558, 1974), and thus appears to be a conserved function during the evolution of rhabdoviruses. The alternate mechanism of capping indicates not only that capping can take place by two procedures, but also that the substrate termini have di- or triphosphate 5' ends, indicating that they are probably independently initiated. An analog of ATP, AppNHp, has been found to completely inhibit the initiation of transcription by spring viremia of carp virus, suggesting that a cleavage between the beta and gamma phosphates of ATP is essential for the initiation of transcription. However, in the presence of GppNHp, uncapped (ppAp and pppAp), capped (GpppAp), and capped methylated (m7GpppAmpAp and GpppAmpAp) transcripts are detected. Size analyses of oligodeoxythymidylic acid-cellulose-bound transcripts resolved by formamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that full-size mRNA transcripts are synthesized as well as larger RNA species. The presence of GppNHp and S-adenosylhomocysteine in reaction mixtures did not have any effect on the type of unmethylated transcription products. Our results favor a transcription model postulated previously (D. H. L. Bishop, in H. Fraenkel-Conrat and R. R. Wagner, ed., Comprehensive Virology, vol. 10, Plenum Press, New York, 1977; D. H. L. Bishop and A. Flamand, in D. C. Burke and W. C. Russell, ed., Control Processes in Virus Multiplication, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1975; D. H. L. Bishop and M. S. Smith, in D. Nayak, ed., The Molecular Biology of Animal Viruses, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1977; P. Roy and D. H. L. Bishop, J. Virol. 11:487-501, 1973) in which mRNA synthesis is initiated independently; they do not support a model for transcripts being synthesized by plus-strand cleavage (A. K. Banerjee, G. Abraham, and R. J. Colonno, J. Gen. Virol. 34:1-8, 1977; A. K. Banerjee, R. J. Colonno, D. Testa, and M. T. Franze-Fernandez, in B. M. J. Mahy and R. D. Barry, ed., Negative Strand Viruses and the Host Cells, Academic Press, London, 1978).

Journal Article↗
PubMed1980

Nuclear processing of viral high-molecular-weight RNA in cells infected with herpes simplex virus type 1.

Nuclear RNA isolated from cells infected by herpes simplex virus type 1, strain F, was fractionated on formamide-sucrose gradients into two major classes, greater and less than 45S. These two classes of labeled nuclear RNA were hybridized to viral DNA fragments generated by digestion with the restriction enzymes HindIII and BglII. Early in infection, only a few DNA fragments hybridized to RNA, with slight differences between the two classes. Late in infection, all DNA fragments hybridized, showing that all viral RNA was present in large precursor molecules greater than 14 kilobases. The fragments that correspond to late gene products hybridized more of the small RNA than the large RNA. This suggests that the mRNA corresponding to late genes accumulated after the large precursors have been cleaved. Large (greater than or equal to 45S) and small (< 45S) nuclear RNA and cytoplasmic RNA from cells late in infection were hybridized in excess to in vitro-labeled HindIII M and L fragments. More than 50% of the HIndIII M fragment annealed with the large nuclear RNA, but only 36% of it annealed with the cytoplasmic RNA. The HindIII L fragment hybridized large nuclear RNA and cytoplasmic RNA to the same extent (30% and 26%). These results suggest that RNA complementary to the HindIII M fragment, which is the template for immediate early polypeptides, was regulated in the nuclei at the posttranscriptional level. This seems to suggest that temporal regulation of RNA cleavage occurs in the nucleus.

DNA, Viral↗
PubMed1980

Detection and characterization of mouse mammary tumor virus cell surface antigens: estimation of antigen abundance by protein A assay.

Antisera against the following mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) structural proteins were used to detect MMTV cell surface antigens: (i) the 27,000-dalton nucleoid protein, p27; (ii) the 36,000-dalton envelope glycoprotein, gp36; and (iii) the 52,000-dalton exterior envelope glycoprotein, gp52. We report here the development of an adherent-cell isotopic staphylococcal protein A (SPA) test (ISPAT) for MMTV structural proteins which allows for the detection of an MMTV membrane-associated antigen as well as an estimate of its relative abundance on the cell surface. This test demonstrated that the gp52 was the predominant MMTV cell surface antigen detected on both C3H and GR mouse mammary tumor cells. In a comparative study with anti-gp52 and anti-gp36 sera, SPA-specific binding with anti-gp36 serum was found to be only 5 to 6% of that obtained for the external virion glycoprotein, gp52. Both direct and indirect ISPAT indicated the presence of a low but detectable number of gp36 determinants on GR-MMTV cells; however, these gp36 determinants, unlike gp52 determinants, appeared to be exposed by the fixation procedure used. Only 0.9 to 1.1% of the gp52-specific binding was detected when anti-gp36 serum was allowed to react with viable cells. The binding of [125I]SPA achieved with anti-p27 serum was even less than that detected with gp36-directed reagents, indicating that p27 is not a cell surface antigen. The use of fluoresceinated SPA further demonstrated that p27 and gp36 reactivity was only associated with a small number of cells in each of the mammary cultures tested. When N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazoly]-formamide-induced C3H bladder tumor cells were subjected to a gp52-directed ISPAT, the failure to detect gp52-specific binding demonstrated the specificity of this assay for MMTV gp52-expressing cells. In addition to detecting and characterizing MMTV cell surface antigens, the newly developed adherent cell assay could measure changes in the abundance of cell surface gp52. When dexamethasone-treated and untreated GR cells were compared, measurements of gp52-specific SPA binding indicated that dexamethasone stimulation leads to a 12.2-fold increase in the amount of cell surface gp52 detected.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

The major herpes simplex virus DNA-binding protein holds single-stranded DNA in an extended configuration.

Properties of the major DNA-binding protein found in herpes simplex virus-infected cells were investigated by using a filter binding assay and electron microscopy. Filter binding indicated that the stoichiometry of binding of the protein with single-stranded DNA is approximately 40 nucleotides per protein molecule at saturation. Strong clustering of the protein in DNA-protein complexes, indicative of cooperative binding, was seen with the electron microscope. Measurements of single-stranded fd DNA molecules saturated with protein and spread for electron microscopy by using both the aqueous and formamide spreading techniques indicated that the DNA is held in an extended configuration with a base spacing of approximately 0.13 nm per base.

DNA Helicases↗