Abstract
A method was described for infecting E. coli with T3 in a synthetic medium for the study of biochemical behavior of T3-infected cells. Under the condition studied, T3 phage began intracellular growth at about 12 minutes. Synthesis of T3-antigenic protein started at about 5 minutes after initiation of reaction, preceded by synthesis of non-phage antigenic protein with coli protein-like character. Synthesis of this non-phage antigenic protein did not sease even in the late stage of phage growth, but continued in parallel with synthesis of phage antigenic protein until cell sysis broke the protein synthesizing mechanisms.
Synthesis of nucleic acids in T3-infected cells were compared to those of T2-infected cells (which carry out phage-infected type synthesis), and uninfected cells (coli type synthesis). In T3-infected cells, rate of increase of nucleic acids and metabolic stability of synthesized RNA were found to be coli type, while distribution of early RNA in cell constituents or susceptibility to β-2-thyenylalanine of RNA synthesis in T3-infected cells were found to be phage-infected type.
These observations were discussed with consideration of T3 phage which possess semitemplate character.
