title: Frameshift mutations in the bacteriophage Mu repressor gene can confer a trans-dominant virulent phenotype to the phage.
abstract: Virulent mutations in the bacteriophage Mu repressor gene were isolated and characterized. Recombination and DNA sequence analysis have revealed that virulence is due to unusual frameshift mutations which change several C-terminal amino acids. The vir mutations are in the same repressor region as the sts amber mutations which, by eliminating several C-terminal amino acids, suppress thermosensitivity of repressor binding to the operators by its N-terminal domain (J. L. Vogel, N. P. Higgins, L. Desmet, V. Geuskens, and A. Toussaint, unpublished data). Vir repressors bind Mu operators very poorly. Thus the Mu repressor C terminus, either by itself or in conjunction with other phage or host proteins, tunes the DNA-binding properties at the repressor N terminus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Génétique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rhode Saint Genèse, Belgium.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Geuskens
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grimaud
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Desmet
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toussaint
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D010583:Bacteriophage mu / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016368:Frameshift Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D005799:Genes, Dominant / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009875:Operator Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C016649:phage repressor proteins