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Physical characterization of the genome of the Myxococcus xanthus bacteriophage MX-8

E Stellwag, J M Fink, J Zissler

    Molecular & General Genetics : MGG
    |January 1, 1985
    PubMed

    Insights

    Researchers mapped the Myxococcus xanthus bacteriophage MX-8 genome, revealing a circular DNA structure of 51.7 Kb. The phage DNA is packaged sequentially with terminal redundancy and circular permutation.

    Area of Science:

    • Molecular Biology
    • Virology
    • Genomics

    Background:

    • Bacteriophage MX-8 is a virus that infects Myxococcus xanthus.
    • Understanding phage genome structure is crucial for viral replication and evolution studies.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To construct a detailed restriction map of the bacteriophage MX-8 genome.
    • To determine the genome size, structure, and packaging mechanism of bacteriophage MX-8.

    Main Methods:

    • Restriction enzyme digestion (PvuII, MboI, EcoRI) of phage DNA.
    • Double digestions, fragment redigestion, and crossed-contact hybridization.
    • Southern hybridization techniques to analyze DNA packaging.

    Main Results:

    • Determined bacteriophage MX-8 genome size to be 51.7 +/- 0.6 Kb.
    • Established a circular restriction map for the phage genome.
    • Demonstrated sequential DNA packaging from a concatemer with a specific start site, average 8% terminal redundancy, and ~40% circular permutation.

    Conclusions:

    • The bacteriophage MX-8 genome is circular and packaged in a specific, non-random manner.
    • Terminal redundancy and circular permutation are key features of bacteriophage MX-8 DNA packaging.

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