THE FUNCTION OF RNA IN T2-INFECTED BACTERIA

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Abstract
The E. coli mutant B94 requires adenine and arginine for growth and for production of bacteriophage. While the mutant does not synthesize phage in medium in which deoxyadenosine is substituted for adenine, it can do so if the infected cells are first incubated in medium containing adenine only. The ultimate yield of bacteriophage is reasonably correlated with the extent of synthesis of a specifically labeled RNA that accumulates during incubation of infected cells in the medium containing adenine alone. Uninfected B94 cells cultured in adenine medium incorporate similar levels of radioactivity into free nucleotide pool, DNA and RNA which is labeled in a characteristically different manner from the RNA of comparably T2-infected B94); these cells, however, are unable to produce phage in a medium containing deoxyadenosine and arginine. A tentative conclusion is that the synthesis of a specific RNA is required for intracellular bacteriophage production before synthesis of phage protein and DNA can proceed.