Inhibition of Ribonucleic Acid Bacteriophage Growth by Actinomycin D

Abstract

In the study of RNA bacteriophage (MS2) replication, the analysis of virus-specific RNA or protein synthesis is facilitated by inhibition of host RNA synthesis. Such inhibition can be produced with actinomycin D, which will penetrate spheroplasts of Escherichia coli (Haywood & Sinsheimer, 1963; Mach & Tatum, 1963) or EDTA treated E. coli cells (Lieve, 1965a,b). Under these conditions, some viral replication occurs. However, it is important to note that this replication is greatly reduced from normal (see also Haywood & Sinsheimer, 1965) and there appears to be, particularly at later stages of infection, a significant distortion of the pattern of RNA synthesis.

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