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Science 17 May 1991:
Vol. 252. no. 5008, pp. 969 - 971
DOI: 10.1126/science.1709758
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Articles

Science, Vol 252, Issue 5008, 969-971
Copyright © 1991 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Retronphage phi R73: an E. coli phage that contains a retroelement and integrates into a tRNA gene

S Inouye, MG Sunshine, EW Six, and M Inouye

Department of Biochemistry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at Rutgers, Piscataway 08854.

Some strains of Escherichia coli contain retroelements (retrons) that encode genes for reverse transcriptase and branched, multicopy, single-stranded DNA (msDNA) linked to RNA. However, the origin of retrons is unknown. A P4-like cryptic prophage was found that contains a retroelement (retron Ec73) for msDNA-Ec73 in an E. coli clinical strain. The entire genome of this prophage, named phi R73, is 12.7 kilobase pairs and is flanked by 29-base pair direct repeats derived from the 3' end of the selenocystyl transfer RNA gene (selC). P2 bacteriophage caused excision of the phi R73 prophage and acted as a helper to package phi R73 DNA into an infectious virion. The newly formed phi R73 closely resembled P4 as a virion and in its lytic growth. Retronphage phi R73 lysogenized a new host strain, reintegrating its genome into the selC gene of the host chromosome and enabling the newly formed lysogens to produce msDNA-Ec73. Hence, retron Ec73 can be transferred intercellularly as part of the genome of a helper-dependent retronphage.


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