In vivo stability of bacteriophage T4 messenger ribonucleic acid.

Cohen, Paul S. (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.), and Herbert L. Ennis. In vivo stability of bacteriophage T4 messenger ribonucleic acid. J. Bacteriol. 92:1345-1350. 1966.-A mutant of Escherichia coli B, defective in its transport and concentration of K(+), synthesizes ribonucleic acid (RNA) without the simultaneous synthesis of protein when depleted of this cation. The mutant was used to study the in vivo stability of phage T4 messenger RNA (mRNA) in the presence and absence of K(+). Experiments were performed in which the turnover of phage T4 mRNA was determined in infected cells continuously synthesizing RNA and in cells in which RNA synthesis was inhibited by actinomycin D. Phage mRNA was found to be more stable in the absence of K(+) than in the presence of either the cation or chloramphenicol.