Identification of genes for elongation factor Ts and ribosomal protein S2 in E. coli.

The structural gene for elongation factor EF-TS (tsf) and that for ribosomal protein S2 (rpsB) have been identified in E. coli. Both genes are carried by lambda transducing phages that have been isolated as dapD+polC+ transducing phages. Synthesis of both S2 and EF-Ts was demonstrated in ultraviolet light-irradiated E. coli cells infected with these phages. Experiments were also done using other transducing phages that carry dapD+ but not polC+. The data indicate that both the tsf and rpsB genes map near dapD at about 4 min on the E. coli genetic map. This location is different from the two chromosomal locations, the str-spc region and the rif region, where many ribosomal protein genes, the genes for RNA polymerase components, as well as other elongation factor genes (fus, tufA, and tufB) are located.