Eight transfer RNAs induced by infection of Escherichia coli with bacteriophage T4.

Bacteriophage T4 induces the synthesis of eight transfer RNAs upon infection of E. coli. The tRNAs are easily detected and resolved into pure species by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of RNA labeled with (32)P after T4 infection. Two-dimensional fingerprints of RNase T(1) products derived from individual gel bands give patterns characteristic of single tRNAs. Furthermore, the T(1) digest of each gel band has a single oligonucleotide that contains the minor nucleotides Tp and Psip, a characteristic feature of all known tRNAs. Four larger RNAs are also seen in the polyacrylamide gels. Fingerprint and genetic analyses demonstrate that these molecules are related to the tRNAs, but the exact nature of this relationship is not known.