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Published on: October 14, 2011
Genetic and functional basis of the reduction effect in bacteriophage ΦX174
Clayton L Bailes1, Karin R H Biggs1, LuAnn Scott2
1School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Abstract:
The ΦX174 reduction effect describes a plasmid-based inhibitory phenomenon that mimics the superinfection inhibition found in wild phage populations. In this effect, when a portion of the ΦX174 genome - the 3' end of the pilot protein gene (H), the 5' end of the replication gene (A), and the H-A intergenic region - is present on a plasmid in the host cell, almost complete protection from phage infection occurs. Here we demonstrate that only the phage pilot protein H portion of the plasmid is sufficient for the observed inhibition, that protein synthesis is necessary for inhibition to occur, that inserting the entire H gene in the plasmid may also impart a blocking effect, and that partial to complete recovery from this inhibition is possible with minimal viral evolution.
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