Evidence That the Cro Repressor Inhibits Expression of the Bacteriophage Lambda P Gene at High Multiplicities of Infection

Overview

Journal Mol Gen Genet

Specialties Genetics
Molecular Biology

Date 1984 Jan 1

PMID 6229684

Authors

G P Zambetti

R C SHUSTER

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The activity of the lambda P gene product at various multiplicities of infection (m.o.i.) was examined in CI- conditions using an assay which measures the disappearance of the rapidly-sedimenting closed-circular (c.c.) form of phage DNA. When cells were infected with lambda CI857 at multiplicities of 5 phage/cell or less, between 65%-75% c.c. DNA was lost during incubation. If the multiplicity of infection was increased to 10 phage/cell or greater, a marked inhibition in the cleavage of c.c. DNA was observed. When bacteria were infected with either lambda CI857CII2002 or lambda CI857cro27 at low m.o.i., the usual 65%-75% decrease in the percentage of c.c. phage DNA occurred during incubation. In contrast, no losses in c.c. DNA were noted after infection with lambda CI857cro27susP3. At high m.o.i., the cleavage of c.c. DNA was inhibited after infection with lambda CI857CII2002, but not after infection with lambda CI857cro27. It is concluded that at high m.o.i. in CI- infections, the expression of gene P is unaffected by the CII gene product, but is inhibited by the increased intracellular levels of cro protein.

References

Folkmanis A, Maltzman W, Mellon P, Skalka A, Echols H . The essential role of the cro gene in lytic development by bacteriophage lambda. Virology. 1977; 81(2):352-62. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(77)90151-9. View

Spiegelman W, Reichardt L, Yaniv M, Heinemann S, Kaiser A, Eisen H . Bidirectional transcription and the regulation of Phage lambda repressor synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972; 69(11):3156-60. PMC: 389725. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.69.11.3156. View

SHUSTER R, Weissbach A . Genetic mapping of an endonuclease synthesized by bacteriophage lambda. Nature. 1969; 223(5208):852-3. DOI: 10.1038/223852a0. View

Kourilsky P, Gros D . Lysogenization by bacteriophage lambda IV inhibition of phage DNA synthesis by the products of genes cII and cIII. Biochimie. 1976; 58(11-12):1321-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0300-9084(77)80015-1. View

Knoll B . An analysis of repressor overproduction by the lambda cIIIs mutant. J Mol Biol. 1979; 132(3):551-5. DOI: 10.1016/0022-2836(79)90276-6. View

SHUSTER R . The effect of chloramphenicol and rifampicin on the "nicking" and "membrane attachment" of bacteriophage lambda DNA. Virology. 1974; 62(2):472-82. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(74)90408-5. View

Chung S, Echols H . Positive regulation of integrative recombination by the cII and cIII genes of bacteriophase lambda. Virology. 1977; 79(2):312-9. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(77)90358-0. View

Echols H, Green L . Establishment and maintenance of repression by bacteriophage lambda: the role of the cI, cII, and c3 proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971; 68(9):2190-4. PMC: 389382. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.68.9.2190. View

SALZMAN L, Weissbach A . Formation of intermediates in the replication of phage lambda DNA. J Mol Biol. 1967; 28(1):53-70. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2836(67)80077-9. View

10.

FRY B . Conditions for the infection of Escherichia coli with lambda phage and for the establishment of lysogeny. J Gen Microbiol. 1959; 21:676-84. DOI: 10.1099/00221287-21-3-676. View

11.

Saito H, Uchida H . Initiation of the DNA replication of bacteriophage lambda in Escherichia coli K12. J Mol Biol. 1977; 113(1):1-25. DOI: 10.1016/0022-2836(77)90038-9. View

12.

Court D, Green L, Echols H . Positive and negative regulation by the cII and cIII gene products of bacteriophage lambda. Virology. 1975; 63(2):484-91. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(75)90321-9. View

13.

Knoll B . Isolation and characterization of mutations in the cIII gene of bacteriophage lambda which increase the efficiency of lysogenization of Escherichia coli K-12. Virology. 1979; 92(2):518-31. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(79)90154-5. View

14.

Kourilsky P . Lysogenization by bacteriophage lambda. I. Multiple infection and the lysogenic response. Mol Gen Genet. 1973; 122(2):183-95. DOI: 10.1007/BF00435190. View

15.

Tsui L, Mark K . The depression of endolysin synthesis in bacteria infected with high multiplicities of phage lambda. Mol Gen Genet. 1976; 143(3):269-78. DOI: 10.1007/BF00269403. View

16.

Herskowitz I, Hagen D . The lysis-lysogeny decision of phage lambda: explicit programming and responsiveness. Annu Rev Genet. 1980; 14:399-445. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ge.14.120180.002151. View

17.

Hoyt M, Knight D, Das A, MILLER H, Echols H . Control of phage lambda development by stability and synthesis of cII protein: role of the viral cIII and host hflA, himA and himD genes. Cell. 1982; 31(3 Pt 2):565-73. DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90312-9. View

18.

Katzir N, OPPENHEIM A, Belfort M, Oppenheim A . Activation of the lambda int gene by the cii and ciii gene products. Virology. 1976; 74(2):324-31. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6822(76)90339-1. View

19.

Luk K, Mark K . Effect of multiplicity of infection on transcription in Escherichia coli cells infected by bacteriophage lambda. J Gen Virol. 1983; 64 (Pt 1):183-9. DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-64-1-183. View

20.

Reichardt L, Kaiser A . Control of lambda repressor synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971; 68(9):2185-9. PMC: 389381. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.68.9.2185. View