A natural longer glycine-rich region in IKe filamentous phage confers no selective advantage.
Filamentous phage infect bacteria bearing pili. The phage protein involved in the recognition of pili and subsequent penetration of the phage into bacteria is the gene 3 protein (g3p). This is a multi-domain protein with glycine-rich regions separating some of the domains. Here we have found an insertion within the glycine-rich domain of the g3p of IKe, a filamentous phage which infects bacteria bearing N pili. Although this insertion considerably increases the length of the glycine-rich domain it has no selective advantage or disadvantage in infection or production of phage, and can therefore be considered a neutral mutation.
Bruno
R
R
SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies), Biophysics sector, Trieste, Italy.
Bradbury
A
A
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003090:Coliphages / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D005998:Glycine / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D015342:DNA Probes; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D014764:Viral Proteins; C081255:gene 3 protein, Enterobacteria phage Ike; D005998:Glycine