The complex pattern of transcription in the segment of the bacteriophage T4 genome containing three of the head protein genes.

A detailed analysis of the temporal pattern of transcription in the gene 22-24 region of bacteriophage T4 has been made. Each of these three late genes has its own promoter, activated during the late phase of viral development. There is also late transcription of the opposite DNA strand across two of these late promoters. The 5' ends of these two sets of convergent transcripts have been mapped to sites designated Q22 and Q23. Middle (T4 gene mot product-dependent) transcription was found opposing the third late promoter, P24. An early promoter was mapped to the region between genes 23 and 24.