title: A natural longer glycine-rich region in IKe filamentous phage confers no selective advantage.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies), Biophysics sector, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bradbury
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D014764:Viral Proteins; C081255:gene 3 protein, Enterobacteria phage Ike; D005998:Glycine