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Identification of the J and K genes in the bacteriophage Mu genome sequence

Mikela L Smith1, Lakshmi N Avanigadda, Patty W Liddell

  • 1Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|October 16, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified specific open reading frames (ORFs) for bacteriophage Mu genes J and K. This work helps assign functions to the Mu genome sequence, advancing our understanding of transposable phages.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Virology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Bacteriophage Mu is a model organism for studying transposable phages and prophages.
  • While the Mu genome sequence is known, the functions of all predicted open reading frames (ORFs) remain unassigned.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the specific ORFs corresponding to bacteriophage Mu genes J and K.
  • To contribute to the functional annotation of the Mu phage genome.

Main Methods:

  • Sequencing of an approximately 3-kb DNA region from Mu lysogens carrying amber mutations.
  • Analysis of mutations in the J and K genes to map them to predicted ORFs (Mup35-Mup38).

Main Results:

  • Amber mutations in the J gene mapped to the Mup36 ORF.
  • Amber mutations in the K gene mapped to the Mup37 ORF.
  • This successfully identified the ORFs for bacteriophage Mu genes J and K.

Conclusions:

  • The study definitively assigns the Mup36 ORF to bacteriophage Mu gene J.
  • The study definitively assigns the Mup37 ORF to bacteriophage Mu gene K.
  • This research enhances the functional annotation of the bacteriophage Mu genome.

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