2018-9-23

Lecture 4
Bacteriophage

Phage : Infectious agents that replicate as

obligate intracellular parasites in bacteria.

phage

bacterial cell

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Characteristics:
1. Tiny: 2 -200 kb per strand；
2. Consist principally of proteins plus nucleic
acid (DNA or RNA);
3. Metabolically inert that can only reproduce
inside the cell.

Biological character of phage

Morphologically distinct types

Polyhedral, filamentous, and complex.

Composition
Head/Capsid
Nucleic acid: DNA/RNA
Protein
– Protection
– Infection Contractile Tail
Sheath
Structure (T4)
– Size Tail Fibers
– Head or capsid Base Plate
– Tail

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Infection of Host Cells by Phages

• Adsorption
–Tail fibers
– Receptor is LPS for T4
• Irreversible attachment
– Base plate
• Sheath Contraction
• Nucleic acid injection

• DNA uptake

Microbe Library, American Society for Microbiology

www.microbelibrary.org

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Virulent phage
Eclipse period
Aadsorbtion Penetration
Genetic
Specific material
receptor

Biosynthesis Assemble, maturate and release

Nucleic acid

Capsid protein
Lysis

Bacteriolysis life circle of virulent phage

Latent period: the interval from infection until

extracellular progeny appear.
Rise period: the interval from the end of the
latent period until all phage are extracellular.
Burst size: 50 and several hundred.

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Assay for Lytic Phage

Phage

Plaque assay
– Method Bacteria
– Plaque forming unit +
Phage
(pfu)
– Measures infectious
particles

Temperate phage

Prophage

Pass down

Nucleic acid of
phage Lysogenic bacterium

Corynebacterium diphtheriae-diphtheria toxin

Lysogenic life circle

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Prophage

Nucleic acid of phage

Biosynthesis Assemble,maturate and release

Bacteriolysis life circle

Occurs spontaneously in a small fraction.

UV Synchronous
Damage DNA
Mitomycin C induction

• Curing: The loss of prophage from a

lysogenic bacterium, converting it to the
nonlysogenic state and restoring
susceptibility to infection by the phage that
was originally present as prophage.

• Lysogenic conversion: Some temperate

phages contain genes for bacterial
characteristics that are unrelated to lytic
phage development or the lysogenic state,
and expression of such genes.

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• Lytic or virulent phage– Phage that multiply

within the host cell, lyse the cell and
release progeny phage
• Lysogenic or temperate phage : Phage
that can either multiply via the lytic cycle or
enter a quiescent state in the bacterial cell.
• Prophage– Phage DNA in the quiescent
state
• Lysogenic bacterium– Bacteria harboring a
prophage

Significance
Models for animal cell viruses
Gene transfer in bacteria
Medical applications
Identification of bacteria - phage typing
Treatment and prophylaxsis
I strongly believe phage could become an
effective antibacterial tool.
-Carl Merril, Chief of the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics,
National Institute of Mental Health, NIH.
It might be another string on the bow, such
that when (conventional antibiotics) fail, here’s
something that has a chance of working. But
it’s not going to be a panacea.
- Joshua Lederberg, Sackler Foundation Scholar at The
Rockefeller University

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Summarize

Bacterium

Prophage

Microbial Genetics
- Transduction

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Transduction

• Definition: Gene transfer from a donor to a

recipient by way of a bacteriophage

– Transduction
• Generalized transduction
– Transducing phage carries random DNA segment from
donor to recipient
• Specialized transduction
– Only certain donor DNA sequences are transferred

Transduction
Bacteriophage
Host bacterial cell
(donor cell)
Bacterial 1 Phage injects its DNA.
chromosome

2 Phage enzymes degrade host

DNA.
Phage DNA
Phage with donor DNA
(transducing phage)
3 Cell synthesizes new
phages that incorporate
phage DNA and, mistakenly,
some host DNA.
Transducing phage
Recipient host cell
4 Transducing phage
injects donor DNA.

Transduced cell Donor DNA is incorporated

Inserted 5 into recipient’s chromosome
DNA by recombination.

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Generalized Transduction
• Infection of Donor
• Phage replication and degradation of host DNA
• Assembly of phages particles
• Release of phage
• Infection of recipient
• Homologous recombination

Potentially any donor gene can be transferred

Transduction: Generalized
Transduction

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Specialized Transduction
Lysogenic Phage

• Excision of the
gal bio
prophage
• Replication and
release of phage
• Infection of the gal gal
recipient bio bio

• Lysogenization of
the recipient
– Homologous l
ga
recombination gal bio bio
also possible

Transduction: Specialized
Transduction

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Summarize

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