Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Sequence of cro gene of bacteriophage lambda

Abstract

KNOWLEDGE of the primary sequences of represser proteins and the DNA operators with which they interact is essential for detailed study of the molecular aspects of the control of gene expression. The sequences of two repressers are known: the cI protein of lambda (ref. 1 and R. Sauer and R. Anderegg, personal communication) and the i gene product of the lactose operon of Escherichia coli (refs 2,3 and P. J. Farabaugh, personal communication). Here we report the DNA sequence for the structural gene of a third represser, the Cro protein of lambda. This protein is of special interest both because of its small size (66 amino acids, as compared with the 236 amino acids of the cI protein and the 360 amino acids of the lac i gene), and because genetic evidence suggests that it interacts with the same operator regions as does the cI protein, although the two proteins probably do not recognise exactly the same DNA bases4–7.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ptashne, M. et al. Science 194, 156–161 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Gilbert, W., Maizels, N. & Maxam, A. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 38, 845–855 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Beyreuther, K., Adler, K., Geisler, N. & Klemm, A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 70, 3576–3580 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Pero, J. Virology 40, 65–71 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Sly, W. S., Rabideau, K. & Kolber, A. in The Bacteriophage Lambda (ed. Hershey, A. D.) 575–588 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Berg, D. Virology 62, 224–233 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Reichardt, L. J. molec. Biol. 93, 267–288; 289–301 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Maxam, A. & Gilbert, W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 560–564 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Steege, D. & Steitz, J. J. molec. Biol. (in the press).

  10. Takeda, Y., Hsiang, M., Cole, D. & Echols, H. Nature 270, 275–277 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gilbert, W. in RNA Polymerase (eds Losick, R. & Chamberlin, M.) 193–203 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Spiegelman, W. G., Reichardt, L., Yaniv, M., Heineman, S. F., Kaiser, A.D. & Eisen, H. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 69, 3156–3160 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

ROBERTS, T., SHIMATAKE, H., BRADY, C. et al. Sequence of cro gene of bacteriophage lambda. Nature 270, 274–275 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270274a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/270274a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing