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Bacterial mutation affecting T4 phage DNA synthesis and tail production

Abstract

A new type of host defective Escherichia coli mutant, hd590, is described. T4+ infection of this mutant results in (1) an abnormally low rate of T4 DNA synthesis that is constant throughout the latent period; (2) relatively low amounts of specific late T4 proteins; (3) the production of empty T4 heads, but not of tails or tail fibres. Two types of T4 mutants, one in T4 gene 31 and the other near T4 gene 39, overcome the hd590 block.

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Simon, L., Snover, D. & Doermann, A. Bacterial mutation affecting T4 phage DNA synthesis and tail production. Nature 252, 451–455 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/252451a0

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