Export of infectious particles by Escherichia coli transfected with the RF DNA of Pf1, a virus of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain K.
Pf1 is a filamentous, single-stranded DNA virus that has Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain K) as host. It is the longest of the filamentous bacterial viruses, and the DNA within it has the most extended conformation known. Pf1 virus cannot infect Escherichia coli (strain MM294) cells, but when these cells are transfected with the double-stranded replicative form of Pf1 DNA (RF DNA, 7.35 kb), they export low levels of infectious particles that create plaques on lawns of P. aeruginosa. Several different structural species, at least two of which are infectious, are exported. One of them, called Epf1, has virtually the same structure as Pf1, but the amount of Epf1 exported by E. coli is 10(4) lower than the amount of Pf1 exported by P. aeruginosa. The results imply that host factors affect not only the efficiency of virus assembly and export, but also the actual structures of the species exported.
Kostrikis
L G
LG
Public Health Research Institute, New York, New York 10016.
Reisberg
S A
SA
Simon
M N
MN
Wall
J S
JS
Day
L A
LA
D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D002213:Capsid / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure
D004279:DNA, Viral