| kappa particle | <microbiology> Gram-negative bacterial endosymbiont of Paramoecium spp., (Caedobacter taeniospiralis) that confers the killer trait, infected Paramoecium are resistant to the toxin liberated by infected forms. Killing activity is associated with the induction of defective phage in the endosymbiont, leading to the release of R bodies, coded for by the phage genome and apparently of mis assembled phage coat protein. (18 Nov 1997) |
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