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Related Experiment Videos

Marine transducing bacteriophage attacking a luminous bacterium.

A Keynan1, K Nealson, H Sideropoulos

  • 1Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543.

Journal of Virology
|August 1, 1974
PubMed
Summary

This study details a marine bacteriophage that infects luminous bacteria. This DNA phage is a specialized tryptophan transducing phage, useful for genetic studies of bacteria.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Marine Biology

Background:

  • Marine bacteriophages are crucial for regulating bacterial populations in oceanic ecosystems.
  • Understanding phage-host interactions is vital for marine microbial ecology.
  • Luminous bacteria play significant roles in marine environments, and their phages are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize a novel marine bacteriophage targeting a luminous bacterial strain.
  • To investigate the physical, biological, and genetic properties of this bacteriophage.
  • To determine the phage's potential as a tool for genetic transduction.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of bacteriophage from marine environments.
  • Characterization of phage morphology (density, head, tail).

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  • Assessment of phage stability and ion requirements (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+).
  • Analysis of lytic growth cycle, burst size, and lysogeny.
  • Transduction experiments using auxotrophic bacterial mutants.

    • Main Results:

    • A DNA bacteriophage with a density of 1.52 g/cm³, icosohedral head, and flexible tail was isolated.
    • Phage stability and infectivity are highly dependent on high sodium ion concentrations, with calcium and magnesium ions providing further stabilization.
    • The phage exhibits a lytic cycle of approximately 45 minutes with a burst size of 100.
    • This bacteriophage specifically transduces tryptophan auxotrophs (Trp(-)) to prototrophy, indicating its role as a specialized transduction phage for the tryptophan region.
    • No other auxotrophic mutations for various amino acids were transduced.
    • Phage infection did not affect the luminescent system of the host bacteria until cell lysis.

    Conclusions:

    • The characterized marine bacteriophage is a stable, DNA-based virus with specific ion requirements for survival and replication.
    • Its ability to specifically transduce the tryptophan region makes it a valuable genetic tool for studying luminous bacteria.
    • The phage does not interfere with bacterial luminescence, offering a unique system for studying phage-host dynamics without altering a key bacterial phenotype.