Regulation of Developmental Pathways Following Infection of Escherichia Coli by Bacteriophage Lambda

Abstract

The temperate bacteriophage lambda can be present in several forms. On infection of the host, it can grow and multiply along the lytic cycle, leading to the production of 100 progeny phages in about 1 h. When conditions for this are unfavorable, alternatively the infected complex may follow the lysogenic pathway (see Fig. 1). Following the establishment of the lysogenic condition, which requires phage repression and integration of phage into the bacterial chromosome, the prophage multiplies passively with the bacterial chromosome. Phage can occasionally be induced spontaneously, or by appropriate treatment which destroys repression, such as UV irradiation or by heating cells harboring prophage and a thermolabile repressor.