Studies on phage development. III. The fate of T4 DNA and protein synthesized in the presence of 9-aminoacridine.

9-Aminoacridine (9AA) inhibits maturation of phage T4. Upon diluting infected bacteria from the dye into a medium containing an inhibitor of protein synthesis, one obtains a crop of mature phage made out of the material accumulated before the removal of 9AA. DNA is synthesized in the presence of 9AA and continues to replicate after the removal of 9AA and addition of puromycin. By marking the DNA with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUDR) and studying the light sensitivity of the phage produced by cells exposed to 9AA, BUDR and puromycin in various programs, one can show that the DNA made in the presence of 9AA is incorporated later into viable phage. This early DNA is dispersed through the DNA synthesized after the removal of the dye. The DNA can in the presence of puromycin pass from the vegetative into the condensed state and subsequently be coated with the protein material synthesized in the presence of the dye.