Elsevier

Virology

Volume 65, Issue 2, June 1975, Pages 374-384
Virology

Regulation of early gene expression in bacteriophage lambda: Effect of tof mutation on strand-specific transcriptions

https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6822(75)90043-4Get rights and content

Abstract

Several λtof mutants were isolated which overproduced λ exonuclease and l-strand mRNA upon infection. These tof mutations also affected r-strand transcription of the x-P region and were grouped in two classes (I and II) on the basis of their modes of r-strand transcription. Like wild-type λ, class I mutants maintained a constant rate of r-strand transcription throughout phage growth. Class II mutants exhibited a very slow initial rate of r-strand transcription, but the rate then increased gradually and eventually surpassed that of tof+ at late times after infection. Overproduction of r-strand mRNA by class II mutants was turned off by mixed-infection with wild-type λ.

Revertants were isolated at a frequency of 10−5 to 10−6. λ Exonuclease synthesis, and l-strand and r-strand transcription were simultaneously restored to wild type levels. Other lines of evidence were also presented, which indicate that the overproduction of l-strand as well as r-strand mRNAs are not due to a newly acquired promoter or an operator mutation.

It is concluded that the tof gene product regulates not only l-strand but also r-strand expression at the transcriptional level. It works essentially negatively, but it may act positively on the x-Q operon at low concentration. Regulation of early gene expression in λ phage is discussed in the light of these observations.

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