Nucleotide sequence heterogeneity of an RNA phage population

The nucleotide sequence of 32P-RNA from Q beta phage clones was sampled by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the RNAase T1-resistant oligonucleotides (T1 fingerprinting). About 15% of the clones derived from a multiply passaged Q beta population showed fingerprint patterns which deviated from that of the RNA from the total population. All deviations examined could be attributed to one and, less frequently, to two or more nucleotide transitions. Since the fingerprinting technique allows the analysis of only about 10% of the RNA sequence, we estimate that each viable phage genome in a multiply passaged population differs in one to two positions from the "average" sequence of the parental population. Several deviant clones were tested by growth competition against a "wildtype" population, after 10-20 generations, the resulting phage showed the "wild-type" T1 fingerprint pattern. We propose that a Q beta phage population is in a dynamic equilibrium, with viable mutants arising at a high rate (Batschelet, Domingo and Weissmann, 1976; Domingo, Flavell and Weissmann, 1976) on the one hand, and being strongly selected against on the other. The genome of Q beta phage cannot be described as a defined unique structure, but rather as a weighted average of a large number of different individual sequences.

In vitro site-directed mutagenesis: generation and properties of an infectious extracistronic mutant of bacteriophage Qbeta

An infectious extracistronic mutant of phage Qbeta has been prepared by site-directed mutagenesis. Qbeta RNA minus strands containing the mutagenic base analog N4-hydroxy-CMP instead of UMP at position 39 from the 5' end were synthesized in vitro and used as template for Qbeta replicase to synthesize one generation of plus strands. E. coli spheroplasts were infected with the newly synthesized plus strands and phage recovered from single plaques. RNA sequence analysis revealed that four out of the eighteen phage clones analyzed contained RNA with an A leads to G transition at position 40 from the 3' end (which corresponds to position 39 of the minus strand). Thus, the viability of phage Qbeta does not depend on a unique nucleotide sequence in the 3'-extracistronic RNA segment. Upon in vivo propagation of mutant 40, spontaneous true revertants arose with high frequency and overgrew the parental clone within about 10 passages, indicating a selective disadvantage of the extracistronic mutant. Replication of mixtures of wild type and mutant RNA in vitro resulted in a decrease of the proportion of mutated RNA in the progeny plus strands. The fact that Qbeta RNA containing an A leads to G transition in nucleotide--40 of Qbeta RNA is less efficiently replicated in vitro may explain the selective disadvantage of the mutant phage in vivo. The preparation of an infectious mutated RNA by site-directed mutagenesis shows that the method is suitable to produce specific nucleotide exchanges without impairing the biological competence of the RNA.

Temperature and salt effects on the formation of preinitiation complexes between RNA polymerase and phage DNA

The influence of temperature and KCl concentration on the formation of rifampicin-resistant preinitiation complexes by holo RNA polymerase has been compared for T4 DNA and Azotobacter phage A21 DNA. The sharp transition with respect to temperature between an inactive complex of polymerase and DNA and a preinitiation complex reflects an equilibrium between the two complexes, the position of which depends on the temperature and the salt concentration. The transition is shifted to higher temperatures by increasing the KCl concentration. The position of this transition is characteristically different for T4 and A21 DNA. The midpoint for A21 DNA is about 15 degrees C above that for T4 at 0.006 M KCl. At 0.15 M KCl the transition for A21 DNA cannot be observed below 37 degrees C. This difference is responsible for the apparent inhibition of a21 dna transcription by KCl and for the low template activity of A21 DNA under the conditions of the standard assay. Both holo and core RNA polymerases are able to form complexes with A21 DNA that are resistant to attack by rifampicin. The second-order rate constant for the inactivation of the complex with the core enxyme is three times greater than that for the complex with the holoenzyme.

Transcription of bacteriophage deoxyribonucleic acid. Comparison of Escherichia coli and Azotobacter vinelandii sigma subunits

The effect of the sigma subunit of RNA polymerase on the rate and asymmetry of the in vitro transcription of Escherichia coli and Azotobacter vinelandii phage DNAs has been studied with purified E. coli and A. vinelandii RNA polymerases and hybrid enzymes containing the core subunits of one enzyme and sigma from the other. The effect of sigma on the rate of transcription is characteristic of the template and not of the enzyme and depends on ionic strength. The rate of transcription of A. vinelandii phage A21 DNA is decreased by sigma at high ionic strength, but shows the more characteristic stimulation at KCl concentrations below 0.05 M. In contrast, the stimulation by sigma of T4 DNA transcription increased with an increase in the KCl concentrations. All combinations of core and sigma subunits behaved similarly with respect to stimulation or inhibition by sigma and with respect to asymmetric transcription of S13 replicative form (RF)DNA. However, the heterologous, but not the homologous combinations of core and sigma transcribed A21 symmetrically. S13 RF DNA in the superhelical, but not in the relaxed configuration, is transcribed asymmetrically by the A. vinelandii core enzyme. A role for the core subunits in specific site recognition is indicated by this observation.

Transcription of Azotobacter phage deoxyribonucleic acid. Salt-dependent equilibrium between steps in initiation

The transcription of Azotobacter phage A21 DNA by Escherichia coli or Azotobacter vinelandii RNA polymerase differs from that of some other DNAs in its inhibition by moderate concentrations of KCl. This characteristic results in an apparent low template activity for this DNA as compared with T4 DNA under standard assay conditions. From an analysis of the dependence of the various steps in initiation on KCl it is concluded that the effect is exerted on an equilibrium between an inactive polymerase-DNA complex and an active preintitiation complex. This salt-sensitive equilibrium favors the inactive complex at a lower KCl concentration than with other templates. It can be approached from other low or high salt concentrations at a measurably slow rate.