A new ribonucleotide reductase system after infection with phage T4.

The ribonucleotide reductase system of Escherichia coli B participates in the biosynthesis of DNA by reducing ribonucleoside diphosphates to the corresponding deoxyribonucleotides. The enzyme is regulated in a complicated way by allosteric modifiers. We now find that infection of E. coli with the bacteriophage T4 results in the appearance of a new ribonucleotide reductase system which shows a somewhat different pattern of regulation. Two new proteins, provisionally called fractions A and B, were purified from the extracts of infected bacteria. The reduction of ribonucleotides by these two fractions required the addition of either dithiothreitol or TPNH and E. coli thioredoxin reductase. Mutants of T4 which lacked fraction A activity were obtained. Fraction B may be a virus-induced thioredoxin.