The Inhibition and Mutagenesis of An Rna Bacteriophage By 5-Fluorouracil

Abstract

The yield of the RNA bacteriophage fCan 1 is strongly inhibited by 5.f1.uoro-uracil (FU). The production of non.infective phage particles in the presence of FU was demonstrated. The infective phage produced in the presence of FU have a relative plating efficiency lower than normal phage when assayed at supra-optimal temperatures, and FU was shown to be mutagenic for fean 1-Mutants sensitive to high temperature were isolated from infected cultures incubated in the presence of 2 X lQ-5M FIT. Complementation among these mutants could not be investigated because of strong interference preventing mixed infection.