High resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins.

A new protein has been isolated from E. coli which causes specific termination and release of RNA during synthesis in vitro. It has been given the name ρ-factor.

Termination Factor for RNA Synthesis

Phage T4 has provided countless contributions to the paradigms of genetics and biochemistry. Its complete genome sequence of 168,903 bp encodes about 300 gene products. T4 biology and its genomic sequence provide the best-understood model for modern functional genomics and proteomics. Variations on gene expression, including overlapping genes, internal translation initiation, spliced genes, translational bypassing, and RNA processing, alert us to the caveats of purely computational methods. The T4 transcriptional pattern reflects its dependence on the host RNA polymerase and the use of phage-encoded proteins that sequentially modify RNA polymerase; transcriptional activator proteins, a phage sigma factor, anti-sigma, and sigma decoy proteins also act to specify early, middle, and late promoter recognition. Posttranscriptional controls by T4 provide excellent systems for the study of RNA-dependent processes, particularly at the structural level. The redundancy of DNA replication and recombination systems of T4 reveals how phage and other genomes are stably replicated and repaired in different environments, providing insight into genome evolution and adaptations to new hosts and growth environments. Moreover, genomic sequence analysis has provided new insights into tail fiber variation, lysis, gene duplications, and membrane localization of proteins, while high-resolution structural determination of the "cell-puncturing device," combined with the three-dimensional image reconstruction of the baseplate, has revealed the mechanism of penetration during infection. Despite these advances, nearly 130 potential T4 genes remain uncharacterized. Current phage-sequencing initiatives are now revealing the similarities and differences among members of the T4 family, including those that infect bacteria other than Escherichia coli. T4 functional genomics will aid in the interpretation of these newly sequenced T4-related genomes and in broadening our understanding of the complex evolution and ecology of phages-the most abundant and among the most ancient biological entities on Earth.

Bacteriophage T4 Genome

A new T7-specific RNA polymerase is found in T7 phage-infected cells It is the product of T7 gene I and is physically and biochemically distinct from the host cell RNA polymerase The synthesis of T7 RNA polymerase provides a direct explanation for the pleiotropic control of late T7 functions exerted by gene I

New RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli infected with bacteriophage T7.

A set of proteins antigenically related to the c-fos protein (Fos) are induced by serum in fibroblasts. To isolate cDNA clones of genes encoding such proteins, a lambda gt11 expression cDNA library constructed from serum-stimulated rat fibroblasts was screened with antibodies raised against a hydrophilic region (amino acids 127 to 152) of Fos. One of the positive clones identified, termed fra-1 (Fos-related antigen) was characterized. It encoded a protein that shared several regions of extensive amino acid homology with Fos (including the region that showed similarity to both the yeast GCN4 regulatory protein and the protein encoded by the jun oncogene), although its nucleotide sequence was considerably diverged from that of the c-fos gene. Only a subset of the agents and conditions that activated c-fos also induced fra-1. Induction of fra-1 expression following serum stimulation was delayed compared with that of c-fos. However, like c-fos, fra-1 was induced rapidly by serum in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors. Thus, a family of Fos-related, inducible genes are involved in the cellular immediate-early transcriptional response to extracellular stimuli.

fra-1: a serum-inducible, cellular immediate-early gene that encodes a fos-related antigen

Transcription during bacteriophage T4 development: synthesis and relative stability of early and late RNA.

Transcription during bacteriophage T4 development: requirements for late messenger synthesis.

Transcription during bacteriophage T4 development: a demonstration that distinct subclasses of the "early" RNA appear at different times and that some are "turned off" at late times.

W. Salser

Papers

Transcription during bacteriophage T4 development: synthesis and relative stability of early and late RNA.

Transcription during bacteriophage T4 development: requirements for late messenger synthesis.

Transcription during bacteriophage T4 development: a demonstration that distinct subclasses of the "early" RNA appear at different times and that some are "turned off" at late times.

Controls and polarity of transcription during bacteriophage T4 development