The stability of bacteriophage T4 gene 32 mRNA: a 5' leader sequence that can stabilize mRNA transcripts.

In T4-infected cells, the gene 32 monocistronic mRNA is very stable. To study the molecular basis for this stability, we have constructed chimeric plasmids containing the monocistronic promoter and the gene 32 translation initiation sequence fused to either most of the E. coli lac operon or only a segment of the lacZ gene, followed by the gene 32 transcription terminator. The resulting hybrid transcripts are unstable in uninfected cells. In phage-infected cells, however, the hybrid mRNAs are at least as stable as gene 32 mRNA itself. Analysis of other plasmid constructs indicates that the sequences on the gene 32 mRNA from its 5' end to slightly beyond the initiation codon suffice to stabilize these hybrids. Studies with a series of deletions of the gene 32 leader sequence suggest that an RNA sequence near the gene 32 initiation codon is involved. Various models to explain this mRNA stabilization are discussed.