title: Intronless homing: site-specific endonuclease SegF of bacteriophage T4 mediates localized marker exclusion analogous to homing endonucleases of group I introns.
abstract: All genetic markers from phage T2 are partially excluded from the progeny of mixed infections with the related phage T4 (general, or phage exclusion). Several loci, including gene 56 of T2, are more dramatically excluded, being present in only approximately 1% of the progeny. This phenomenon is referred to as localized marker exclusion. Gene 69 is adjacent to gene 56 of T4 but is absent in T2, being replaced by completely nonhomologous DNA. We describe SegF, a novel site-specific DNA endonuclease encoded by gene 69, which is similar to GIY-YIG homing endonucleases of group I introns. Interestingly, SegF preferentially cleaves gene 56 of T2, both in vitro and in vivo, compared with that of phage T4. Repair of the double-strand break (DSB) results in the predominance of T4 genes 56 and segF in the progeny, with exclusion of the corresponding T2 sequences. Localized exclusion of T2 gene 56 is dependent on full-length SegF and is likely analogous to group I intron homing, in which repair of a DSB results in coconversion of markers in the flanking DNA. Phage T4 has many optional homing endonuclease genes similar to segF, whereas similar endonuclease genes are relatively rare in other members of the T-even family of bacteriophages. We propose that the general advantage enjoyed by T4 phage, over almost all of its relatives, is a cumulative effect of many of these localized events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Molecular Genetics, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York 12222, USA.
authors.forename: Archana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belle
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landthaler
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Shub
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017122:Bacteriophage T4 / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004260:DNA Repair; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005091:Exons; D005785:Gene Conversion; D005819:Genetic Markers; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005819:Genetic Markers; D004247:DNA; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases