title: Novel DNA packaging recognition in the unusual bacteriophage N15.
abstract: Phage lambda's cosB packaging recognition site is tripartite, consisting of 3 TerS binding sites, called R sequences. TerS binding to the critical R3 site positions the TerL endonuclease for nicking cosN to generate cohesive ends. The N15 cos (cos(N15)) is closely related to cos(λ), but whereas the cosB(N15) subsite has R3, it lacks the R2 and R1 sites and the IHF binding site of cosB(λ). A bioinformatic study of N15-like phages indicates that cosB(N15) also has an accessory, remote rR2 site, which is proposed to increase packaging efficiency, like R2 and R1 of lambda. N15 plus five prophages all have the rR2 sequence, which is located in the TerS-encoding 1 gene, approximately 200 bp distal to R3. An additional set of four highly related prophages, exemplified by Monarch, has R3 sequence, but also has R2 and R1 sequences characteristic of cosB-λ. The DNA binding domain of TerS-N15 is a dimer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feiss
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany; Division of Viral Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: henriettegeyer@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Geyer
authors.affiliation: Flow Cytometry, Imaging & Microscopy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frankfurter Strasse 129B 64293 Darmstadt, Germany; Flow Cytometry, Imaging & Microscopy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frankfurter Strasse 129B 64293 Darmstadt, Germany. Electronic address: franco.klingberg@thermofisher.com.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Klingberg
authors.affiliation: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States.; Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States.. Electronic address: nmoreno@islander.tamucc.edu.
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: Flow Cytometry, Imaging & Microscopy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frankfurter Strasse 129B 64293 Darmstadt, Germany; Room # 2911 JPP, Dept. of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242. Electronic address: eamanda-forystek@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forystek
authors.affiliation: Flow Cytometry, Imaging & Microscopy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frankfurter Strasse 129B 64293 Darmstadt, Germany; Alliance Protein Laboratories, Inc. 6042 Cornerstone Court West, Suite ASan Diego, CA 92121, USA.. Electronic address: fKarl.Maluf@ap-lab.com.
authors.forename: Nasib Karl
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Maluf
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sippy
mesh_terms: D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001665:Binding Sites; D042003:DNA Packaging; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases / Q000378:metabolism*; D019065:Virus Assembly
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases
keywords: Bacteriophage; DNA packaging; Terminase; Virus DNA packaging; Virus DNA recognition; Virus assembly; Virus evolution