Role of the T5 gene D15 nuclease in the generation of nicked bacteriophage T5 DNA

Protection of oligodeoxynucleotides against nuclease degradation through association with self-assembling peptides

Aggregates of the self-assembling peptide EAK16II or EAK16IV and oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) were prepared, and their stability upon diluting the solution was investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy. The aggregates prepared at pH 4 and pH 7 did not dissociate after the solution was diluted 5- and 10-fold. The resistance against Escherichia coli exonuclease I of the ODN located in the EAK-ODN aggregates was studied by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) after the ODN had aggregated with EAK16II or EAK16IV at pH 4 or pH 7. The effect that the peptide sequence, peptide concentration, pH, and centrifugation had on protecting the aggregated ODN against nuclease degradation was investigated. Significant nuclease resistance was obtained after the EAK-ODN aggregates had been prepared at pH 4, with an EAK16IV concentration greater than a threshold value, and ensuring that the solution was not centrifuged immediately after sample preparation. Centrifuging the EAK16IV-ODN solution immediately after sample preparation resulted in the loss of this nuclease protection. However, if the solution of EAK-ODN aggregates was centrifuged 24 h after sample preparation, the nuclease protection afforded by the EAK16IV-ODN aggregates to the ODN was maintained even after being subject to a 10-fold dilution and up to 4 rounds of centrifugation over 4 days.

Real-time imaging of DNA ejection from single phage particles

Infection by tailed dsDNA phages is initiated by release of the viral DNA from the capsid and its polarized injection into the host. The driving force for the genome transport remains poorly defined. Among many hypothesis [1], it has been proposed that the internal pressure built up during packaging of the DNA in the capsid is responsible for its injection [2-4]. Whether the energy stored during packaging is sufficient to cause full DNA ejection or only to initiate the process was tested on phage T5 whose DNA (121,400 bp) can be released in vitro by mere interaction of the phage with its E. coli membrane receptor FhuA [5-7]. We present a fluorescence microscopy study investigating in real time the dynamics of DNA ejection from single T5 phages adsorbed onto a microfluidic cell. The ejected DNA was fluorescently stained, and its length was measured at different stages of the ejection after being stretched in a hydrodynamic flow. We conclude that DNA release is not an all-or-none process but occurs in a stepwise fashion and at a rate reaching 75,000 bp/sec. The relevance of this stepwise ejection to the in vivo DNA transfer is discussed.

Complete genome sequence of bacteriophage T5

The 121,752-bp genome sequence of bacteriophage T5 was determined; the linear, double-stranded DNA is nicked in one of the strands and has large direct terminal repeats of 10,139 bp (8.3%) at both ends. The genome structure is consistently arranged according to its lytic life cycle. Of the 168 potential open reading frames (ORFs), 61 were annotated; these annotated ORFs are mainly enzymes involved in phage DNA replication, repair, and nucleotide metabolism. At least five endonucleases that believed to help inducing nicks in T5 genomic DNA, and a DNA ligase gene was found to be split into two separate ORFs. Analysis of T5 early promoters suggests a probable motif AAA{3, 4 T}nTTGCTT{17, 18 n}TATAATA{12, 13 W}{10 R} for strong promoters that may strengthen the step modification of host RNA polymerase, and thus control transcription of phage DNA. The distinct protein domain profile and a mosaic genome structure suggest an origin from the common genetic pool.

Identification of the bacteriophage T5 dUTPase by protein sequence comparisons

It is shown by protein sequence comparisons that a 148 amino acid open reading frame (ORF 148) located at 67% of the bacteriophage T5 genome encodes a protein with strong similarity to known dUTPases. This protein contains five characteristic amino acid sequence motifs that are common to the dUTPase gene family. A similarity in size and high degree of sequence identity strongly suggest that the protein encoded by the ORF 148 of bacteriophage T5 is dUTPase.

A single-strand specific endonuclease activity copurifies with overexpressed T5 D15 exonuclease

The T5 D15 exonuclease purified from an overproducing strain of E. coli was shown to possess a low level of endonucleolytic activity specific for single-stranded DNA when assayed with 1-10 mM Mg2+ as co-factor. Endonuclease activity on double-stranded circular DNA could not be detected under these conditions. Nicked circular DNA was first gapped by the enzyme's exonucleolytic activity, creating a single-stranded region. This gapped substrate was then endonucleolytically cleaved and rapidly degraded. We show that a gapped and not a nicked substrate is required for this activity as previously suggested (Moyer, R. W. and Roth, C. T. 1977, J. Virol. 24, 177-193). The single-strand endonuclease activity could be selectively suppressed by using low concentrations of Mg2+ as co-factor (less than 1 mM), thus allowing nicked double-stranded circular DNA to be gapped to a single-stranded circular species. We also report on sequence similarities between the T5 exonuclease and several prokaryotic DNA polymerases.

Cloning and DNA sequence of the 5'-exonuclease gene of bacteriophage T5

The nucleotide sequence of the BalI-PstI fragment of T5 DNA, 1347 bp in length, coding for 5'-exonuclease (D15 gene), has been determined. A coding region of the gene contains 873 bp and is preceded by a typical Shine-Dalgarno sequence. The D15 gene belongs to a cluster, consisting of at least 3 genes, in which a termination codon of a preceding gene overlaps an initiation codon of the following one. The sequence contains an open reading frame for 291 amino acid residues. The molecular mass of the 5'-exonuclease calculated from the predicted amino acid sequence is 33 400 Da.

Transcription regulatory elements in the late region of bacteriophage T5 DNA

Transcription promoters and terminators have been cloned from the late region of bacteriophage T5 DNA and their strengths determined in vivo in plasmid derivatives. DNA sequence analysis shows these transcription signals to be remarkable in that, in all four cases studied in detail, the promoters and terminators overlapped or were very close together.

In vitro transcription of phage T4 late genes on purified DNA by partially purified RNA polymerase from T4-infected Escherichia coli b cells

RNA polymerase was purified from 'late' phage T4-infected Escherichia coli B cells by DNA-cellulose affinity chromatography and high salt agarose filtration. The DNA-cellulose-purified RNA polymerase preparation contained T4-coded DNA endonuclease activity and several proteins, some with sizes comparable with the known T4 maturation factors, essential for late RNA synthesis. Some of these proteins, and the DNA endonuclease utilizing native, parental T4 DNA and supercoiled phi X 174 DNA as substrates, were partially separated from the RNA polymerase as a complex during agarose filtration. In vitro RNA was made by the DNA-cellulose-purified RNA polymerase using native, parental T4 DNA as template. About 26% of the in vitro RNA was transcribed from the DNA r-strand; 75% from the same r-strand region as in vivo late after infection. Both the abundancy and specificity of the in vitro r-strand transcription were markedly reduced after agarose filtration of the enzyme. Addition of the proteins separated from the RNA polymerase during agarose filtration caused a restoration of in vitro r-strand transcription abundance, but not its specificity. These results show that partially purified RNA polymerase from T4-infected E. coli B cells was able to transcribe late T4 genes in vitro with some abundancy and specificity on purified, parental T4 DNA, but further purification of the enzyme caused an irreversible reduction of this ability.

Cloning of bacteriophage T5 DNA fragments. II. Isolation of recombinants carrying T5 PstI fragments

The adjacent PstI-J, I and G fragments of the phage T5 DNA molecule (4.4, 4.6 and 7.2 kb, respectively) have been cloned in plasmid pBR322 and their locations verified by Southern blot analysis. The PstI I and G fragments overlap the previously cloned HindIII-P and G fragments and like those, contain no known genetic markers. In addition, one of the 12 newly isolated T5 mutants maps in this PstI-IG region. Thus, the size of the "empty" region between genes D15 and D17, which we have previously observed on the genetic map, extends to at least 11.8 kb. In contrast, the PstI-J fragment carried part of the D12 gene and the intact D14 and D15 genes. This clone is of particular interest since the D15 gene product is a nuclease and is responsible for the positive control of late gene transcription. The orientation of these genes relative to the T5 DNA molecule has been determined by a combination of restriction, deletion and complementation analyses.

Cloning of bacteriophage T5 DNA fragments. III. Expression in Escherichia coli mini-cells

Use has been made of the mini-cell system to study polypeptide synthesis from cloned EcoRI, HindIII and PstI fragments of T5 DNA. The correlation of certain gene products with known genes has been established, as well as the physical mapping of genes not yet identified genetically. In some cases, it has been possible to demonstrate the presence of T5 promoters on the cloned DNA fragments. The design of experiments to avoid certain artifacts inherent in the use of the mini-cell system is discussed.

Mechanism of degradation of duplex DNA by the DNase induced by herpes simplex virus

Reaction intermediates formed during the degradation of linear PM2, T5, and lambda DNA by herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNase have been examined by agarose gel electrophoresis. Digestion of T5 DNA by HSV type 2 (HSV-2) DNase in the presence of Mn(2+) (endonuclease only) gave rise to 6 major and 12 minor fragments. Some of the fragments produced correspond to those observed after cleavage of T5 DNA by the single-strand-specific S1 nuclease, indicating that the HSV DNase rapidly cleaves opposite a nick or gap in a duplex DNA molecule. In contrast, HSV DNase did not produce distinct fragments upon digestion of linear PM2 or lambda DNA, which do not contain nicks. In the presence of Mg(2+), when both endonuclease and exonuclease activities of the HSV DNase occur, most of the same distinct fragments from digestion of T5 DNA were observed. However, these fragments were then further degraded preferentially from the ends, presumably by the action of the exonuclease activity. Unit-length lambda DNA, EcoRI restriction fragments of lambda DNA, and linear PM2 DNA were also degraded from the ends by HSV DNase in the same manner. Previous studies have suggested that the HSV exonuclease degrades in the 3' --> 5' direction. If this is correct, and since only 5'-monophosphate nucleosides are produced, then HSV DNase should "activate" DNA for DNA polymerase. However, unlike pancreatic DNase I, neither HSV-1 nor HSV-2 DNase, in the presence of Mg(2+) or Mn(2+), activated calf thymus DNA for HSV DNA polymerase. This suggests that HSV DNase degrades both strands of a linear double-stranded DNA molecule from the same end at about the same rate. That is, HSV DNase is apparently capable of degrading DNA strands in the 3' --> 5' direction as well as in the 5' --> 3' direction, yielding progressively smaller double-stranded molecules with flush ends. Except with minor differences, HSV-1 and HSV-2 DNases act in a similar manner.

Interruption-deficient mutants of bacteriophage T5 I. Isolation and general properties

Mutations of bacteriophage T5 were isolated which lack one or more of the natural single-chain interruptions that occur in the mature DNA of this virus. Interruption-deficient mutants were detected by screening survivors of hydroxylamine mutagenesis for altered DNA structure by electrophoresis in agarose slab gels. Over 60 independent mutants were isolated from a survey of approximately 800 phages particles. All of the mutants were viable and could be grouped into two classes. Mutants in one class lacked one of the localized sites where interruptions occur in T5 DNA. To date, mutants that affect five different sites have been obtained. Mutants in the other class were essentially free from interruptions or had a reduced frequency of interruptions throughout the genome. The members of this class included several amber mutants. Complementation tests indicated that at least two genes are required for the presence of interruptions in mature T5 DNA.