Isolation and characterization of prophage mutants of the defective Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage PBSX

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1975 · J. Virol., v. 16, no. 1, pp. 184-191

OSTI ID:4168638

Thurm, P; Garro, A J

Bacillus subtilis mutants with lesions in PBSX prophage genes have been isolated. One of these appears to be a regulatory mutant and is defective for mitomycin C-induced derepression of PBSX; the others are defective for phage capsid formation. All of the PBSX structural proteins are synthesized during induction of the capsid defective mutants; however, several of these proteins exhibit abnormal serological reactivity with anti-PBSX antiserum. The two head proteins X4 and X7 are not immunoprecipitable in a mutant which fails to assemble phage head structures. In the tail mutant, proteins X5 and X6 are not immunoprecipitable, tails are not assembled, and a possible tail protein precursor remains uncleaved. The noninducible mutant does not synthesize any PBSX structural proteins after exposure to mitomycin C. The mutation is specific for PBSX since phi 105 and SPO2 lysogens of the mutant are inducible. All of the known PBSX-specific mutations were shown to be clustered between argC and metC on the host chromosome. In addition, the metC marker was shown to be present in multiple copies in cells induced for PBSX replication. This suggests that the derepressed prophage replicates while still integrated and that replication extends into the adjacent regions of the host chromosome. (auth)

• Research Organization: City Univ. of New York, NY
• NSA Number: NSA-33-005708
• OSTI ID: 4168638
• Journal Information: J. Virol., v. 16, no. 1, pp. 184-191, Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-76
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

N48310* -Life Sciences-Radiation Effects on Microorganisms- -Basic Studies
560131* -Biomedical Sciences
Applied Studies-Radiation Effects-Radiation Effects on Microorganisms-Basic Studies
*BACILLUS SUBTILIS- MUTATIONS
*BACTERIOPHAGES- BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
*MITOMYCIN- BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
GENES
MUTANTS
PROTEINS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION