Effects of palindromes on in vivo DNA replication and mutagenesis in bacteriophage phi X174 RF DNA.

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Uwe R. Muller (Creator)

Barbara K. Perkins (Creator)

W. Lee Williams (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Bacteriophage IX174 mutants with insertions of palindromic DNA sequences are rapidly outgrown by competing wild-type phage (Muller & Turnage J. Mol. Biol. 189: 285). The basis for this defect was investigated and found to be due to an exclusion event early in the infectious cycle in which phage genomes with palindromic inserts were preferentially excluded by wt phage. In addition we have obtained further evidence for a palindrome induced genetic instability. Both defects are dependent on palindrome size and sequence consistent with a model which involves formation of cruciforms or cruciform-like structures. We propose that formation of unusual DNA secondary structures reduces the effectiveness of replicative form (RF) DNA to interact with limiting replication factors or membrane binding sites possibly because of interaction with the host recombination system. Originally published Nucleic Acids Research Vol. 16 No. 22 Nov 1988

Additional Information

Publication

Other

Nucleic Acids Research. 16:22(November 1988) p. 10733-10750.

Language: English

Date: 2011

Keywords

palindromic DNA sequence, phage genome, cruciforms

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