Release of Polarity in Escherichia coli by Gene N of Phage λ: Termination and Antitermination of Transcription
Year: 1974
Type: article
Abstract: The induction of lambda prophage provokes the constitutive expression of the adjacent gal operon in E. coli. This "escape synthesis" can result from transcription that initiates at a phage promoter and extends into the gal operon. The effect requires the product of the lambda gene N. N-mediated transcription not only fails to terminate at the prophage-bacterial junction and at the ends of bacterial operons, but ignores termination signals caused by polar insertions or ochre mutations within gal. Suppression of polarity by N-function is a cis-effect; only transcription initiated at the phage promoter is influenced. We propose that the transcription complex is influenced by N-product to become termination-resistant at a site in the phage genome (juggernaut model). This site appears to be at or near the phage promoter.
Institutions: National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2128181506