A Role for Single-strand Breaks in Bacteriophage φX174 Genetic Recombination
Abstract
Formation of genetic recombinants in bacteriophage φX174 is stimulated up to 50-fold in host cells carrying the recA^+ allele by subjecting the virus particles to ultraviolet irradiation before infection, or by starving the host cell for thymine during infection; in recA host strains no such increases are observed. φX174 replicative form DNA molecules formed in vivo from ultraviolet-irradiated bacteriophage consist of an intact, circular full-length viral (+) strand and a partially complete complementary (−) strand extending from the point of origin of complementary strand DNA synthesis to an ultraviolet lesion. φX174 replicative form DNA molecules formed in thymine-deficient host strains during thymine starvation have nearly complete circular viral (+) and complementary (−) strands, which contain random single-strand nicks or gaps. Correlation of these structures with the observed increases in recombination suggests that single-strand "breaks" are aggressive intermediate structures in the formation of φX174 genetic recombinants mediated by the host recA^+ gene product.
Additional Information
© 1974 Elsevier Ltd. Received 19 December 1973, and in revised form 28 May 1974.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 69428
- DOI
- 10.1016/0022-2836(74)90414-8
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20160804-075750349
- Created
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2016-08-04Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-11Created from EPrint's last_modified field