Peculiarities of Gene Expression of the EcoRII Modification-Restriction System

N. N. Matvienko,¹ L. A. Zheleznaya,² E. E. Chernyshova,³ Ya. I. Buryanov,¹ and N. I. Matvienko^3,4

¹Branch of Shemyakin--Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142292 Russia.

²Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142292 Russia.

³Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142292 Russia; fax: (095) 924-0493; E-mail: nikmatv@sun.ipr.serpukhov.su

⁴To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Submitted June 3, 1997.

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The restriction-modification genes of the EcoRII system have been cloned into plasmids under control of phage-specific promoters T7 and SP6. The transcription was induced by cell infection with the recombinant M13 phages with the corresponding genes of phage RNA-polymerases under control of the p_lac-promoter in the presence of IPTG. The induction yields significant amounts of EcoRII DNA-methylase for both phage-specific promoters. In both cases no increase in EcoRII endonuclease expression could be achieved. We hypothesize that the expression of the endonuclease gene is regulated on the translational level.

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KEY WORDS: restriction-modification, EcoRII.

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