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Forces controlling the rate of DNA ejection from phage lambda.

David Löf1, Karin Schillén, Bengt Jönsson

  • 1Division of Physical Chemistry 1, Center for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, P. O. Box 124, S-22100 Lund, Sweden.

Journal of Molecular Biology
|March 6, 2007
PubMed
Summary
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Genome ejection from bacteriophage lambda is accelerated by higher temperatures and longer DNA lengths. DNA-binding proteins also enhance the ejection rate by applying pulling forces.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Virology

Background:

  • Bacteriophage lambda DNA ejection is a complex process involving interactions between viral proteins and the host genome.
  • Understanding the forces that regulate this process is crucial for comprehending viral infection mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of internal and external forces on the rate of bacteriophage lambda genome ejection in vitro.
  • To determine how parameters like temperature, DNA length, and DNA-binding proteins influence ejection kinetics.

Main Methods:

  • Time-resolved static and dynamic light scattering were employed to measure genome ejection rates.
  • Experiments were conducted under varying temperatures, with different packaged DNA lengths (37.7, 45.7, and 48.5 kb).

Related Experiment Videos

  • The effect of adding non-specific DNA-binding proteins (HU and DNase I) was assessed.

    • Main Results:

    • Genome ejection rate exhibited an exponential increase with temperature, likely due to conformational changes in tail pore proteins.
    • A nearly linear relationship was observed between initial ejection rate and genome length, with longer DNA ejecting faster.
    • Despite faster initial rates for longer genomes, total ejection time remained relatively constant across different lengths.
    • Addition of DNA-binding proteins significantly increased ejection rates, suggesting they exert additional pulling forces.

    Conclusions:

    • Temperature and DNA length are critical factors modulating bacteriophage lambda genome ejection rates.
    • Internal forces like DNA bending and inter-strand repulsion contribute to faster ejection of longer genomes.
    • External factors, such as DNA-binding proteins, can actively promote genome ejection, highlighting the interplay of forces in this process.