The Jack D. Griffith Laboratory: Replicating T4 DNA

When prokaryotic DNA is replicated the lagging strand is looped back on itself in such a way that the leading and lagging strands are able to replicate in the same physical direction and enzymatic directions. This model, the "trombone model" was proposed originally by Bruce Alberts but was not verified until a series of EM papers from our laboratory using the T7 and T4 phage systems and purified DNAs. This molecule is being replicated by the purified T4 proteins and further details are in the papers with Nancy Nossal.