ABSTRACT
The RNA phages did not only solve conclusively central problems in molecular biology and chemistry, but also contributed markedly to the understanding of the mutagenic actions and application of chemical mutagenesis in practice. The genetic studies of the RNA phages have been performed using a large number of temperature-sensitive and suppressor-specific mutations. This chapter deals with generic studies and practical generation of the numerous RNA phage mutants. Thus, the concept of the conditionally lethal mutations and polar mutations is explained. The role of the mutants by the detection of the gene order, regulation mechanisms, and discovery of the lysis gene is highlighted. The classical mutants of the phage f2. MS2, fr, R17, GA, Qβ, SP, and FI are described in detail.
