Novel bacteriophage lambda mutation affecting lambda head assembly

Novel bacteriophage lambda mutation affecting lambda head assembly.

A novel phage lambda mutation, called dc10, which interferes with proper lambda head assembly has been isolated and characterized. Phage lambda carrying this mutation is (i) unable to form plaques at 30 or 37 degrees C but does so at 42 degrees C and (ii) unable to form plaques at 42 degrees C on pN-constitutive hosts. Both properties are due to dc10 since all phage revertants for one phenotype...

In vitro assembly of bacteriophage Lambda heads.

The assembly of plaque-forming particles in cell-free extracts of induced lambda lysogens was observed two ways. (i) DNA isolated from a lambda-related phage, 434 for example, is added to an extract of an induced lambda lysogen, and plaque-formers with the genotype of the added DNA are detected. (ii) One extract from an induced lambda lysogen that carries an amber mutation in one of the head ge...

Assembly of biologically active proheads of bacteriophage lambda in vitro.

Bacteriophage lambda DNA can be packaged in vitro into preformed proheads to generate plaque-forming units. This complex set of reactions is initiated when lambda DNA is mixed with the product of the phage A gene, and proheads. Because proheads are an essential early reactant, the system has potential as an assay for the formation of biologically active proheads. When extracts of cells infected...

Mutation and recombination of bacteriophage lambda: effect of ultraviolet radiation.

Defects in the bacterial recB or recC or phage red or int gene did not impair ultraviolet light-induced clear mutations of lambda phage. Clear mutants of cI and cII genes were not enriched among RecA-promoted UV-induced recombinants between the N and O genes which closely encompass the c genes. No correlation was observed between UV-induced mutation and genetic recombination.

Genetic map of bacteriophage lambda.