Synthesis of phage-precursor nucleic acid in the presence of chloramphenicol

Abstract

If chloramphenicol is added to a bacterial culture infected with T2 some minutes earlier, synthesis of phage nucleic acid proceeds with very little concomitant protein synthesis. If chloramphenicol is subsequently removed, phage particles promptly start to form, and the phosphorus of nucleic acid synthesized during the chloramphenicol period enters into them. Very little of the sulfur of protein synthesized before the addition of chloramphenicol is incorporated into phage particles after removal of chloramphenicol. Nucleic acid formed during phage growth after the removal of chloramphenicol is diluted in the pool of nucleic acid formed previously before it is incorporated into phage particles. The sequential synthesis of nucleic acid and protein revealed in this way shows that the bulk of the phage-precursor nucleic acid is not formed inside particles possessing a phage-precursor protein membrane.