Bacteriophage T4 virion dihydrofolate reductase: approaches to quantitation and assessment of function. 1977

R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews

This paper is concerned with the physiological role(s) of T4 phage-coded dihydrofolate reductase, which functions both in DNA precursor metabolism and as a virion protein. (i) We have detected enzyme activity in noninfectious particles produced under restrictive conditions by gene 11 mutants. This supports the conclusion of Kozloff et al. (J. Virol. 16:1401-1408, 1975) that the protein lies in the baseplate, covered by the gene 11 protein. (ii) We have obtained further evidence for virion dihydrofolate reductase as the target for neutralizing activity of T4 dihydrofolate reductase antiserum and as a determinant of the heat lability of the virion. This derives from our observation that the reductases specified by T4B and T4D differ in several properties. (iii) We have investigated several anomalous properties of T4 mutants bearing deletions that reportedly extend into or through the frd gene, which codes for dihydrofolate reductase. Evidence is presented that the deletions in fact do not extend through frd. These strains direct the synthesis of material that cross-reacts with antiserum to homogeneous dihydrofolate reductase. Moreover, they are all quite sensitive to the phage-neutralizing effects of this antiserum. In addition, they are restricted by several of the hospital strains, wild-type strains of Escherichia coli supplied by the California Institute of Technology group. (iv) We have attempted to detect dihydrofolate reductase among early-synthesized proteins present in T4 tails. Two such proteins are seen, one of which is evidently the gene 25 product and one that is a bacterial protein. Quantitation of our electrophoretic technique has allowed determination of the number of molecules of some T4 tail components present per virion. (v) Finally, we have compared the T4 dihydrofolate reductase with the corresponding enzyme specified by two plasmids conferring resistance to trimethoprim (Skold and Widh, J. Biol. Chem. 249:4324-4325, 1974). Although the enzymes are similar in some properties, they differ in several important respects, including immunological activity.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008970 Molecular Weight The sum of the weight of all the atoms in a molecule. Molecular Weights,Weight, Molecular,Weights, Molecular
D009154 Mutation Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations. Mutations
D009500 Neutralization Tests The measurement of infection-blocking titer of ANTISERA by testing a series of dilutions for a given virus-antiserum interaction end-point, which is generally the dilution at which tissue cultures inoculated with the serum-virus mixtures demonstrate cytopathology (CPE) or the dilution at which 50% of test animals injected with serum-virus mixtures show infectivity (ID50) or die (LD50). Neutralization Test,Test, Neutralization,Tests, Neutralization
D010455 Peptides Members of the class of compounds composed of AMINO ACIDS joined together by peptide bonds between adjacent amino acids into linear, branched or cyclical structures. OLIGOPEPTIDES are composed of approximately 2-12 amino acids. Polypeptides are composed of approximately 13 or more amino acids. PROTEINS are considered to be larger versions of peptides that can form into complex structures such as ENZYMES and RECEPTORS. Peptide,Polypeptide,Polypeptides
D003090 Coliphages Viruses whose host is Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli Phages,Coliphage,Escherichia coli Phage,Phage, Escherichia coli,Phages, Escherichia coli
D003428 Cross Infection Any infection which a patient contracts in a health-care institution. Hospital Infections,Nosocomial Infections,Health Care Associated Infection,Health Care Associated Infections,Healthcare Associated Infections,Infection, Cross,Infections, Hospital,Infections, Nosocomial,Cross Infections,Healthcare Associated Infection,Hospital Infection,Infection, Healthcare Associated,Infection, Hospital,Infection, Nosocomial,Infections, Cross,Infections, Healthcare Associated,Nosocomial Infection
D004927 Escherichia coli Infections Infections with bacteria of the species ESCHERICHIA COLI. E coli Infections,E. coli Infection,Infections, E coli,Infections, Escherichia coli,E coli Infection,E. coli Infections,Escherichia coli Infection,Infection, E coli,Infection, E. coli,Infection, Escherichia coli
D005796 Genes A category of nucleic acid sequences that function as units of heredity and which code for the basic instructions for the development, reproduction, and maintenance of organisms. Cistron,Gene,Genetic Materials,Cistrons,Genetic Material,Material, Genetic,Materials, Genetic
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013696 Temperature The property of objects that determines the direction of heat flow when they are placed in direct thermal contact. The temperature is the energy of microscopic motions (vibrational and translational) of the particles of atoms. Temperatures

Related Publications

R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
September 1977, Journal of virology,
R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
July 1979, Journal of virology,
R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
August 1967, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
June 1971, Biochemical and biophysical research communications,
R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
December 1975, Journal of virology,
R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
September 1987, The Journal of biological chemistry,
R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
September 1972, The Journal of biological chemistry,
R A Mosher, and A B DiRenzo, and C K Mathews
November 1971, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,
Copied contents to your clipboard!