• 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 38  (1-3) , 119-129
Abstract
We have cloned the early region of the major leftward operon of bacteriophage .vphi.80 DNA and determined the nucleotide sequence of the pL-nutL-tL1 segment. The genes and sites equivalent to .lambda. gene N, antiterminator nutL, and terminator tL1 were found in this region by functional tests using the recombinant plasmids carrying the transcriptional units Ptrp-tL1-galK, Ptrp-nutL-tL1-galK and PlacUV5-N. Sequence homologies were observed between the boxA of the phage 21 nutR site and the inverted repeat of the nut core in the nutL-equivalent site of .vphi.80. The N-equivalent gene of .vphi.80 codes for a protein with 98 amino acids. It is highly basic as is the .lambda. N protein. Recombinant plasmids carrying the .vphi.80-pL promoter and nut-equivalent site of .vphi.80 are lethal to the Escherichia coli host cell, but can be stably maintained in the presence of the .vphi.80-cI repressor.