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The rep Mutation III. Altered Structure of the Replicating Escherichia coli Chromosome

¹ Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada

ABSTRACT

The rep gene function of Escherichia coli is essential for the replication of P2 and X174 double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Compared with isogenic rep⁺ strains, rep mutants show the following characteristics: larger cell size, more DNA per cell, and a slightly lower DNA/mass ratio. The replicating rep chromosomes show a steeper gradient of marker frequencies and contain more replicating forks per chromosome. The nucleoid body of rep mutants sediments faster and contains more DNA. We deduce that the rep function is required for the "normal" replication of the E. coli chromosome and that in its absence the E. coli chromosome replicates in an altered manner, perhaps involving slower-moving replicating forks.

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