Open AccessDifferential Incorportion of 5‐Azapyrimidines into the RNA of Phage f2 and of Bacterial Host
Author(s) -
DoskoČIL Jiří,
ŠOrm František
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
european journal of biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1432-1033
pISSN - 0014-2956
DOI - 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1971.tb01616.x
Subject(s) - rna , rna dependent rna polymerase , cytosine , uracil , biology , non coding rna , phagemid , infectivity , dna , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , virus , bacteriophage , virology , biochemistry , escherichia coli , gene
Particles of phage f2 formed in the presence of 5‐azacytidine have nearly normal sedimentation coefficient and buoyant density, but their infectivity with respect to populations of normal phage is reduced. RNA extracted from these particles is partly degraded to small fragments and has very low template activity. Incorporation studies in vivo indicate that phage RNA‐replicase can utilize both 5‐azacytidine and 5‐azauridine triphosphates for the synthesis of RNA. Phage RNA, however, contains much less 5‐azacytosine than either replicative‐from RNA or host RNA; apparently some secondary mechanism is operative, tending to eliminate plus‐strands of RNA with high content of of 5‐azacytosine from entering mature phage particles. Analyses of replicative‐form RNA formed in cultures treated with 5‐azacytidine show that this analogue is incorported mostly instead of cytosine, but may also replace uracil quite frequently, apparently by incorrect base pairing.