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Multiple density classes of phage P1 due to tetramer formation

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Summary

Stocks of coliphage P1 contain infective phage particles (P1), a smaller morphological variant (pP1) and single phage tails. In crude stocks and under certain conditions these particles form stable aggregates of four by adhesion of their base plates. It happens that all the aggregates of P1, pP1 and tails having densities above 1.41 g/cm3 are distributed around five values: 1.422, 1.435, 1.450, 1.459 and 1.473 g/cm3. Consequently they form five rather distinct bands when examined by analytical centrifugation. Formation and dissociation of tetramers results in loss and recovery of phage infectivity. Tetramers formed of four P1 particles have a sedimentation constant of 1,185 S as compared to 715 S for single P1 particles. Within the limits of our methods we could not detect any P1 or pP1 particles containing amounts of DNA different from 10−16 g and 4×10−17 g, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biophysique, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland

    Dimitri Karamata

  2. National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, N.M.7, London, England

    Dimitri Karamata

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  1. Dimitri Karamata
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Communicated by W. Arber

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Karamata, D. Multiple density classes of phage P1 due to tetramer formation. Molec. Gen. Genet. 107, 243–255 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268698

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00268698

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