This Article Full Text (PDF) A correction has been published Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kuhn, A Articles by Kellenberger, E Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kuhn, A Articles by Kellenberger, E

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1985 September; 163(3): 906-912

Productive phage infection in Escherichia coli with reduced internal levels of the major cations.

ABSTRACT

Bacteriophage-induced changes in the intracellular levels of the major cations of Escherichia coli were studied to investigate the role of ion concentrations for bacteriophage assembly in vivo. Infection of E. coli by phage T4, P1, or lambda caused a transient reduction of intracellular levels of potassium, magnesium, and polyamines. Phages T3 and T7, however, had no detectable effect on the cation concentrations within the cell. In all cases, any reduction in the ion concentrations was restored later in infection. When the intracellular potassium concentration was lowered from 325 to 150 mM with a different osmotic growth medium, the number of phage progeny was only slightly reduced (by a factor of two). On additional reduction of the intracellular magnesium concentration from 100 to 50 mM by adding the antibiotic polymyxin B to the infected cells, T4 infections, but not T3 or T7, were markedly affected. These studies show that T3, T4, and T7 phage assembly can efficiently occur in vivo over a broad spectrum of ion concentrations.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lusetti, S. L., Shaw, J. J., Cox, M. M. (2003). Magnesium Ion-dependent Activation of the RecA Protein Involves the C Terminus. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 16381-16388 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Rigler, M. N., Romano, L. J. (1995). Differences in the Mechanism of Stimulation of T7 DNA Polymerase by Two Binding Modes of Escherichia coli Single-stranded DNA-binding Protein. J. Biol. Chem. 270: 8910-8919 [Abstract] [Full Text]