Replication of the RNA of Bacteriophage f2

Abstract

Events occurring after infection of bacteria with wild-type and a temperature-sensitive mutant phage indicate that there are two enzymatic activities necessary to replicate phage RNA. One converts single strands into double strands, while the other uses double strands to svnthesize viral RNA. The mutant is deficient in the first activity, probably because the mutation is in the gene specifying the requisite enzyme. On the basis of these and other results, a model is presented for the replication of phage RNA.