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J. Bacteriol., 06 1995, 3185-3190, Vol 177, No. 11
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology

Identification of related genes in phages phi 80 and P22 whose products are inhibitory for phage growth in Escherichia coli IHF mutants

KS Henthorn and DI Friedman
Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.

Bacteriophage lambda grows in both IHF+ and IHF- host strains, but the lambdoid phage phi 80 and hybrid phage lambda (QSRrha+)80 fail to grow in IHF- host strains. We have identified a gene, rha, in the phi80 region of the lambda(QSRrha+)80 genome whose product, Rha, inhibits phage growth in an IHF- host. A search of the GenBank database identified a homolog of rha, ORF201, a previously identified gene in phage P22, which similarly inhibits phage growth in IHF- hosts. Both rha and ORF201 contain two possible translation start sites and two IHF binding site consensus sequences flanking the translation start sites. Mutations allowing lambda (QSRrha+)80 and P22 to grow in IHF- hosts map in rha and ORF201, respectively. We present evidence suggesting that, in an IHF+ host, lambda(QSRrha+)80 expresses Rha only late in infection but in an IHF- host the phage expresses Rha at low levels early in infection and at levels higher than those in an IHF+ host late in infection. We suspect that the deregulation of rha expression and, by analogy, ORF201 expression, is responsible for the failure of phi80, lambda(QSRrha+)80, and P22 to grow in IHF mutants.

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