Synergistic interactions of T4 early proteins concerned with their binding to DNA.

Under appropriate conditions, 19 distinct early proteins produced by bacteriophage T4 bind DNA with various affinities. They include products of genes that have been implicated in T4 DNA metabolism, such as DNA negative, DNA arrest, and DNA delay genes, and others whose roles have not yet been defined. The identifiable DNA-binding proteins are the products of genes 43, rIIA, 46, 30, 39, 52, betagt, 32, and internal protein III. In some cases, protein-protein interactions are involved in the formation of the DNA-protein complexes.