The role of the T4 bacteriophage regA gene in stabilizing early
mRNA was investigated by assaying the level of functional
mRNA from eight prereplicative genes (56 [
dCMP hydroxymethylase], cd [
dCMP deaminase], 1 [
deoxynucleotide kinase], rIIA, rIIB, 46 [
DNA arrest], and 45) during extended
infection of Escherichia coli B with T4 regA-, 43- and T4 43- bacteriophage. The above gene-specific transcripts in
RNA isolated from infected cells were quantitated by translation with an E. coli B cell-free system. Conditions were chosen to insure that the amount of gene product formed in vitro, measured either as an
enzyme activity or as a radioactive band in acrylamide gel, was directly proportional to the level of
mRNA present. The failure of T4 regA-, 43- phage to terminate prereplicative synthesis (Wiberg et al., 1973) resulted in an enhanced production of many early gene products over those formed during T4 43-
infection. This increase did not appear to be associated with an increment in
mRNA levels, since in the present study gene-specific early
mRNA's were found to be only marginally elevated and slightly more stable in T4 regA-, 43-- than in T4 43--infected cells. Of interest was the observation that significant quantities of all of the
mRNA's studied; with the exception of those from genes 45 and 46, could be isolated from T4 43--infected cells after synthesis of the respective gene products had ceased. On termination of normal prereplicative synthesis during
infection with T4 43- phage, polyribosomes were found to be dissociated completely, a finding which suggests that the residual
mRNA present in these cells is free in the cytoplasm. The persistence in T4 43--infected cells of translatable
mRNA for many prereplicative genes after product synthesis ceased indicates that the impairment in
protein synthesis is not due solely to regA-mediated messenger degradation or modification. Rather, the results suggest that the regA gene product may act either by interfering with early
mRNA polypeptide chain initiation or by promoting prereplicative polysome dissociation.