Synthesis of bacteriophage-coded gene products during infection of Escherichia coli with amber mutants of T3 and T7 defective in gene 1

During nonpermissive infection by a T7 amber mutant in gene 1 (phage RNA polymerase-deficient), synthesis of the products of the phage genes 3 (endonuclease), 3, 5 (lysozyme), 5 (DNA polymerase), and 17 (serum blocking power) was shown to occur at about half the rate as during wild-type infection. This relatively high rate of expression of "late" genes (transcribed normally by the phage RNA polymerase) seems to be a general feature of all T7 mutants in gene 1 from our collection. In contrast, T3 gene 1 mutants and a T7 gene 1 mutant from another collection showed late protein synthesis at very reduced rates. Synthesis of the gene 3 endonuclease by T7 gene 1 mutants was very sensitive to the addition of rifampin 2 min after infection, conditions under which there was very little inhibition during wild-type infection. This supports the notion that late gene expression during nonpermissive infection by gene 1 mutants is dependent on the transcription of the T7 genome by the host RNA polymerase. In contrast to T3 gene 1 mutants, the T7 gene 1 mutants of our collection directed the synthesis of phage DNA during nonpermissive infection. This DNA accumulated as a material sedimenting faster than mature T7 DNA.