Reduced immunity in lysogens of bacteriophage λ due to a mutation in the prophage

The presence of a certain mutation located near the right-hand end of the c I region in a λ prophage causes the lysogen to show reduced immunity interpreted as due to a low amount of repressor present. Aspects of reduced immunity are: Killing of the lysogenic cell by superinfection with c I mutants,...

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Published inVirology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 707 - 716
Main Authors Strack, Hans B., Kayser, Marianne, Holder, Suse
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.1970
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ISSN0042-6822
1096-0341
DOI10.1016/0042-6822(70)90316-8

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Summary:The presence of a certain mutation located near the right-hand end of the c I region in a λ prophage causes the lysogen to show reduced immunity interpreted as due to a low amount of repressor present. Aspects of reduced immunity are: Killing of the lysogenic cell by superinfection with c I mutants, with different efficiency for different mutants; formation of plaques on the lysogen by some λ mutants, among them v 3 operator mutants; high levels of spontaneously released phage also from a rec − strain; nonexclusion of T4 rII; ability of N −i 434 and O −i 434 mutants to form plaques on the lysogen. The reduced immunity allele is recessive in double lysogens and in superinfection experiments. The reduced immunity lysogens are stable against spontaneous curing. They release phages which are fully subject to immunity and lysogenize well. In some bacterial strains, lysogens exist in two distinct phases stable for many generations showing different reductions of immunity.
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ISSN:0042-6822
1096-0341
DOI:10.1016/0042-6822(70)90316-8