Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics
Published on: January 5, 2024
[Inductive effect of hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system on lambda prophage]
Abstract:
Hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase (HX-XO) system is a classical system that can generate superoxide anions. The inductive effect of the HX-XO system for lambda prophage has been investigated in this study. The results showed that the system can induce lambda prophage from lysogenic state to lytic growth. The inductive effect was directly proportional to the concentration of HX and XO and inversely related to the time of preliminary incubation of HX with XO. The cell density of the lysogenic bacteria also greatly affected the inductive effect. The maximal PFU number of 2.9 x 10(4) PFU/ml was recorded at 0.86 mM HX, 1.6 x 10(-2) U/ml XO, and a cell density of 10(8) cells/ml. The inductive effect of the HX-XO system was inhibited in the suspensions by glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. The results provide evidence that free radicals are the primary factors in the induction of lambda prophage in lysogenic bacteria.
Related Concept Videos
Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle
Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Inducible Operons: lac Operon
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors
Transcription of prokaryotic...

