Skip to main content
Log in

The construction of λ transducing phages containing deletions defining regulatory elements of the lac and trp operons in E. coli

  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Two sets of plaque-forming λ transducing phages have been isolated which carry parts of the tryptophan (trp) and lactose (lac) operons. The λptrp-lac set of phages carry the trp and lac operons in the same orientation connected by deletions which enter the lac regulatory region from the i side. These deletions start at various sites in or near the trp operon and end either late in the lac i gene, within the promoter, between the promoter and the operator, within the operator, between the operator and the z gene, or very early in the z gene. Starting with one particular trp-lac fusion strain, a series of transducing phages were isolated which contain varying portions of the trp operon extending from the trp A gene towards the trp operator. The other set of phages, which are designated λptrp/lac, carry trp and lac in opposing orientations. These λptrp/lac phages contain deletions which remove all of the lac structural genes and end between the operator and the z gene.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arditti, R., Grodzicker, T., Beckwith, J.: Cyclic adenosine monophosphate-independent mutants of the lactose operon of Escherichia coli. J. Bact. 114, 652–655 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckwith, J., Grodzicker, T., Arditti, R.: Evidence for two sites in the lac promoter region. J. molec. Biol. 69, 155–160 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Blundell, M., Craig, E., Kennell, D.: Decay rates of different mRNA in E. coli and models of decay. Nature (Lond.) New Biol. 238, 46–49 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, M., Szybalski, W.: Physical and chemical characteristics of lambda DNA. The bacteriophage lambda (ed. A. Hershey), p. 45–82. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Deeb, S., Okamoto, K., Hall, B.: Isolation and characterization of non-defective transducing elements of bacteriophage ϕ80. Virology 31, 289–295 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiandt, M., Hradecna, Z., Lozeron, H. A., Szybalski, W.: Electron micrographic mapping of deletions, insertions, inversions, and homologies in the DNAs of coliphages lambda and phi 80. The bacteriophage lambda (ed. A. Hershey), p. 329–354. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Franklin, N.: The N operon of lambda: Extent and regulation as observed in fusions to the tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli. The bacteriophage lambda (ed. A. Hershey), p. 621–638. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, W., Müller-Hill, B.: The lac operator is DNA. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 58, 2415–2421 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottesman, S., Beckwith, J. R.: Direct transposition of the arabinose operon: A technique for the isolation of specialized transducing bacteriophages for any Escherichia coli gene. J. molec. Biol. 44, 117–127 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Imamoto, F., Yanofsky, C.: Transcription of the tryptophan operon in polarity mutants of Escherichia coli: I. Characterization of the tryptophan messenger RNA of polar mutants. J. molec. Biol. 28, 1–23 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ippen, K., Shapiro, J. A., Beckwith, J. R.: Transposition of the lac region of the Escherichia coli chromosome: Isolation of lac transducing bacteriophages. J. Bact. 108, 5–9 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob, F., Monod, J.: Genetic regulatory mechanisms in the synthesis of proteins. J. molec. Biol. 3, 318–356 (1961)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob, F., Perrin, D., Sanchez, C., Monod, J.: L'operon: Groupe de genes a expression coordonnee par un operateur. C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 250, 1727–1729 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob, F., Ullman, A., Monod, J.: Le promoteur, element genetique necessaire a l'expression d'un operon. C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 258, 3125–3128 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, E., Kirschbaum, J., Austin, S.: Isolation and characterization of ϕ80 transducing bacteriophage for a ribonucleic acid polymerase gene. J. Bact. 116, 511–516 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Malamy, M. H., Fiandt, M., Szybalski, W.: Electron microscopy of polar insertions in the lac operon of Escherichia coli. Molec. gen. Genet. 119, 207–222 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. H.: Transcription starts and stops in the lac operon. The lactose operon (ed. J. Beckwith and D. Zipser), p. 173–188. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1970

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. H., Ippen, K., Scaife, J. G., Beckwith, J. R.: The promoter-operator region of the lac operon of Escherichia coli. J. molec. Biol. 38, 413–420 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. H., Reznikoff, W. S., Silverstone, A. E., Ippen, K., Signer, E. R., Beckwith, J. R.: Fusions of the lac and trp regions of the Escherichia coli chromosome. J. Bact. 104, 1273–1279 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, D., Reznikoff, W. S., Beckwith, J. R.: Genetic fusions defining trp and lac operon regulatory elements. Submitted to J. molec. Biol. (1974)

  • Newton, W. A., Snell, E. E.: Catalytic properties of tryptophanase, a multifunctional pyridoxal phosphate enzyme. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 51, 382–389 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardee, A. B., Jacob, F., Monod, J.: The genetic control and cytoplasmic expression of inducibility in the synthesis of β-galactosidase of E. coli. J. molec. Biol. 1, 165–178 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkinson, J. S., Huskey, R. S.: Deletion mutants of bacteriophage lambda: I. Isolation and initial characterization. J. molec. Biol. 56, 369–384 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Platt, T., Weber, K., Ganem, D., Miller, J. H.: Translation restarts: AUG reinitiation of a lac repressor fragment. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 69, 897–901 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Press, R., Glansdorff, N., Miner, P., DeVries, J., Kadner, R., Maas, W. K.: Isolation of transducing particles of ϕ80 bacteriophage that carry different regions of the Escherichia coli genome. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 68, 795–798 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Reznikoff, W. S.: The operon revisited. Ann. Rev. Genet. 6, 133–156 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Reznikoff, W. S., Beckwith, J. R.: Genetic evidence that the operator locus is distinct from the z gene in the lac operon of Escherichia coli. J. molec. Biol. 43, 215–218 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Reznikoff, W. S., Miller, J. H., Scaife, J. G., Beckwith, J. R.: A mechanism for repressor action. J. molec. Biol. 43, 201–213 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Reznikoff, S. W., Thornton, K. P.: Isolating tryptophan regulatory mutants in Escherichia coli by using a trp-lac fusion strain. J. Bact. 109, 526–532 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Scaife, J., Beckwith, J. R.: Mutational alteration of the maximal level of lac operon expression. Cold Spr. Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 34, 101–111 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrenk, W. J.: Genetische vorarbeiten zur isolation des trp-repressors in Escherichia coli. Ph. D. Thesis, Universität zu Köln (1972)

  • Shimada, K., Weisberg, R. A., Gottesman, M. E.: Prophage lambda at unusual chromosomal locations. II. Mutations induced by bacteriophage lambda in Escherichia coli K12. J. molec. Biol., in press (1973)

  • Signer, E. R., Beckwith, J. R.: Transposition of the lac region of E. coli. III. The mechanism of attachment of coliphage ϕ80 to the bacterial chromosome. J. molec. Biol. 22, 33–51 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, O. H., Yanofsky, C.: Enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of tryptophan. III. Tryptophan synthetase. Methods in enzymology, vol. 5 (ed. S. Colowick and N. Kaplan), p. 801–806. New York: Academic Press 1963

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomita, T.: On the transcription of the ϕ80 phage genome. Molec. gen. Genet. 103, 313–325 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Voll, M. J.: Derivation of an F-merogenote and a ϕ80 frequency transducing phage carrying the histidine operon of Salmonella. J. Bact. 109, 741–780 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, G., Singer, J., Heffernan, L.: Deoxyribonucleic acid-ribonucleic acid hybridization studies on the L-arabinose operon of Escherichia coli B/r. J. Bact. 108, 1–4 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yanofsky, C., Horn, V., Bonner, M., Stasiowsky, S.: Polarity of enzyme functions in mutants of the first three genes of the tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli. Genetics 69, 409–433 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zubay, G., Morse, D. E., Schrenk, W. J., Miller, J. H.: Detection and isolation of the repressor protein for the tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 69, 1100–1103 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by W. Maas

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barnes, W.M., Siegel, R.B. & Reznikoff, W.S. The construction of λ transducing phages containing deletions defining regulatory elements of the lac and trp operons in E. coli . Molec. Gen. Genet. 129, 201–215 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267913

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00267913

Keywords

Navigation