Ribosomal protein S1 and NusA protein complexed to recombination protein β of phage λ

Abstract

The red genes of bacteriophage λ specify two proteins, exonuclease and β protein, which are essential for general recombination of λ in recA cells. Earlier studies suggested that these proteins form an equimolar complex (C. M. Radding, J. Rosenweig, F. Richards, and E. Cassuto, J. Biol. Chem. 246:2510-2512, 1971). A more recent study indicated that β protein forms a strong complex with an unknown polypeptide of 70 kDa (K. Muniyappa and C. M. Radding, J. Biol. Chem. 261:7472-7478, 1986). In the present study, in addition to the complex of β and the 70-kDa protein, a new association of β protein with a 65-kDa protein was observed. N-terminal sequencing identified these proteins as host-encoded ribosomal protein S1 and transcription terminator protein NusA.