Bacteriophage T4D Gene 42 Mutants Exhibit a Defective Genetic Exclusion Phenotype

Abstract

Genetic exclusion in phage T4 is the prime responsibility of the imm and sp genes. The map region containing imm does not allow sufficient coding space to encode for proteins the size reported for the imm gp. After assaying 30 mutants of the genes adjacent to imm, I found 7 in gene 42 that were defective in the imm phenotype. Upon reverting one of these, am NG411(42), the mutant most defective exclusion, for its gene 42 phenotype the exclusion phenotype also reverted toward wild type. When assayed in UGA suppressor hosts, imm+ phage showed a decreased exclusion ability indicating that an opal condon is involved in production of the functional imm gp. I concluded that imm and gene 42 overlap in an out-of-phase orientation with the involvement of an opal read through. This overlap has implications in the genetic regulation of this region.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA235836

Entities

People

  • John W. Obringer

Organizations

  • United States Air Force Academy

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Amino Acids
  • Bacteriophages
  • Caudovirales
  • Deoxyribonucleic Acids
  • Genes
  • Genetic Code
  • Genetic Structures
  • Genetics
  • Genome
  • Microbial Genetics
  • Microbial Genome
  • Microbiology
  • Mrna
  • Phenotypes
  • Virology
  • Viruses

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Marine Propulsion Engineering and Naval Architecture
  • Molecular Genetics

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris