The effects of central asymmetry on the propagation of palindromic DNA in bacteriophage lambda are consistent with cruciform extrusion in vivo
Chalker, A.F.; Okely, E.A.; Davison, A.; Leach, D.R.
Genetics 133(2): 143-148
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-6731 PMID: 8436264 Document Number: 405672
The propagation of lambda phages carrying long perfect palindromes has been compared with that of phages carrying imperfect palindromes with small regions of central asymmetry. The perfect palindromes confer a more deleterious phenotype than those with central asymmetry and the severity of the phenotype declines with the length of asymmetry in the range from 0 to 27 base pairs. These results argue that a center-dependent reaction is involved in the phenotypic effects of palindromic DNA sequences, consistent with the idea that cruciform extrusion occurs in vivo.