Synthesis of specific functional messenger RNA in vitro by phage-SP01-modified RNA polymerase of Bacillus subtilis

RNA polymerase (nucleosidetriphosphate: RNA nucleotidyltransferase, EC 2.7.7.6) was purified from rifampicin-resistant Bacillus subtilis, from both uninfected cells and cells infected with bacteriophage SP01. The enzyme from infected cells lacked all traces of the sigma subunit, contained several polypeptides absent from the enzyme made in uninfected cells, and had an altered template specificity in a transcription assay. A cell-free protein synthesizing system from Escherichia coli, when poisoned with rifampicin, was completely dependent on addition of either of these RNA polymerase preparations for DNA-dependent protein synthesis. Under these conditions, the SP01-modified RNA polymerase preferentially stimulated the synthesis of functional mRNA for the phage enzyme dCMP deaminase (deoxycytidylate aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.4.12), whereas unmodified B. subtilis RNA polymerase could stimulate synthesis of this mRNA in small quantity and only after prolonged incubation. This mRNA belongs to a class of phage transcripts (m) which cannot be transcribed in vivo in the absence of phage-specific protein synthesis.