FURTHER REPORT OF RADIOBIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON PHAGE MULTIPLICATION IN LYSOGENIC BACTERIA

GENETIC RECOMBINATION PHENOMENON OCCURRING BETWEEN PHAGE AND ITS HOST CELL

Abstract

UV-treated temperate phage β⁺ can be reactivated by the host cell KA. The mechanism of reactivation was divided into two classes in which one is caused by the undamaged cell, while the other only by UV-treated cell.
Among the progeny of reactivated phage appearance of plaque type mutants was demonstrated.
On the basis of some reasons already discussed, it was considered that these reactivations were the results of recombination due to partial genetic homology to be found in the phage and its host bacterium.
In the temperate phage and its virulent mutant employed in the present study no difference in their host dependency was evident.
In addition, the evidence that the prophage and vegetative phage have a common genome was far more strengthened.
The author wishes to express his appreciation to Prof. Y. Kawakita for his kind advice and encouragement.