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Bacillus subtilis mutants defective in bacteriophage phi 29 head assembly
B S Rajagopal1, B E Reilly, D L Anderson
1Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
Journal of Bacteriology
|April 1, 1993
Summary
Researchers identified Bacillus subtilis mutants with defects in bacteriophage phi 29 head assembly. These mutants show reduced phage production, indicating a critical role for gene product 10 in virus assembly.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Bacteriophage phi 29 is a model system for studying virus assembly.
- Understanding the intricate process of viral head formation is crucial for controlling phage replication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize Bacillus subtilis mutants with defects in bacteriophage phi 29 head assembly.
- To investigate the role of specific gene products in the phi 29 portal vertex structure during assembly.
Main Methods:
- Utilized antibodies specific to the dodecameric phi 29 portal vertex (gene product 10).
- Assessed phage adsorption, protein synthesis, DNA replication, and prohead RNA synthesis in mutant strains.
- Employed transformation and PBS1 transduction to map the genetic locus responsible for the assembly defect.
Main Results:
- Identified mutants with significantly reduced prohead and phage production despite normal phage adsorption and component synthesis.
- Antibody reactivity indicated a defect in the assembly of gene product 10 into the portal vertex structure.
- The assembly defect locus (vam) was mapped to a specific region on the Bacillus subtilis chromosome.
Conclusions:
- Gene product 10 is essential for the proper assembly of the bacteriophage phi 29 portal vertex.
- Defects in portal vertex assembly lead to a significant reduction in infectious phage production.
- The vam locus plays a critical role in bacteriophage phi 29 morphogenesis.