GENE CONTROL IN INFECTION & LYSOGENY BY PHAGE LAMBDA

我们的目标是了解转录的功能 抗终止子，一种通用转录调节蛋白， RNA聚合酶。 噬菌体λ基因Q蛋白 通过与RNA相互作用促进噬菌体晚期基因表达 聚合酶在特定的基因组特异性位点，修饰 这样它就能读取转录终止子， 否则阻止噬菌体晚期基因表达。 抗终止是 比RNA链起始的调节更不容易理解，但是 它在细菌中很常见，并且经常出现在高等生物中。 细胞：抗终止作用与控制 细胞癌基因myc，在肿瘤病毒SV40的生长中， 腺病毒，并通过达特基因控制HIV表达 产品 λ Q蛋白是一种很好表征的，纯化的 在确定的体外转录系统中起作用的调节子， 30，其机制可以在生物化学详细研究。 我们 旨在确定Q蛋白如何与DNA或RNA相互作用， 进行其基因组特异性识别，以及它如何修改 RNA聚合酶的特性 我们将追踪Q 蛋白质改变RNA的基本动力学性质 聚合酶通过屏障如终止子促进延伸。 我们将开发Q蛋白和RNA聚合酶的遗传分析 这应该有助于描述 Q蛋白与酶的相互作用，并将补充我们的 抗终止的连续生物化学表征。 在 同时，这些研究将增加对 转录终止，一个普遍参与的过程， 控制RNA合成和基因表达。

The goal is to understand the function of a transcription antiterminator, a regulatory protein of the universal transcription enzyme RNA polymerase. The bacteriophage lambda gene Q protein promotes phage late gene expression by interacting with RNA polymerase at a particular, genome-specific site, modifying the enzyme so that it reads through transcription terminators that otherwise prevent phage late gene expression. Antitermination is less well understood than regulation of RNA chain initiation, but it is common in bacteria, and is appearing frequently in higher cells: antitermination has been implicated in control of the cellular oncogene myc, in growth of the tumor viruses SV40 and adenovirus, and in control of HIV expression by the tat gene product. The lambda Q protein is a well characterized, purified regulator that works in a defined in vitro transcription system, 30 that its mechanism can be studied in biochemical detail. We intend to determine how Q protein interacts with DNA or RNA to carry out its genome-specific recognition and how it modifies the properties of RNA polymerase. We will pursue indications that Q protein modifies the fundamental kinetic properties of RNA polymerase to promote elongation through barriers like terminators. We will develop a genetic analysis of Q protein and RNA polymerase that should help characterize the physical and functional interaction of Q protein with the enzyme, and will complement our continuing biochemical characterization of antitermination. At the same time these studies will increase understanding of transcription termination, a process universally involved in control of RNA synthesis and gene expression.