TRANSLATION CONTROL OF VIRAL RNA IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

Deprivation of uracil early in infection by RNA phage prevents detectable synthesis of phage-specific RNA synthetase or of coat protein, suggesting that both proteins are synthesized predominantly under the control of progeny RNA. The coat protein cistron can be translated independently of the other cistrons of the viral messenger encoding for histidine-containing proteins. After accumulation of about 150 phage-equivalents coat protein per cell, the further expression of the synthetase gene is repressed. Repression takes place even when only a minor fraction of the normal maximum amount of enzyme is synthesized at that time. The repression seems not to extend to other viral functions, or presumably to the synthesis of the histidine-containing maturation protein". © 1969."