title: Synthesis of bacteriophage phi X174 in vitro: mechanism of switch from DNA replication to DNA packaging.
abstract: Replication of a replicative form DNA of bacteriophage phi X174 initiates by rolling-circle synthesis of the viral DNA followed by discontinuous synthesis of the complementary DNA. Gene C protein of phi X174, which is involved in DNA packaging, inhibits the rolling-circle DNA synthesis by binding to the initiation complex in vitro. The gene C protein-associated initiation complex can synthesize and package the viral DNA to produce infectious phage when supplemented with phi X174 gene J protein and the prohead. Multiple rounds of phage synthesis occur without dissociation of the gene C protein from the complex. These results indicate that gene C protein is central in the switch from replication of a replicative form DNA to synthesis and concomitant packaging of viral DNA into phage capsid, which occurs in the late stage of infection.
mesh_terms: D010584:Bacteriophage phi X 174 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004261:DNA Replication; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D005814:Genes, Viral; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D014771:Virion / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins