| defective bacteriophage | A temperate bacteriophage mutant whose genome does not contain all of the normal components and cannot become fully infectious virus, yet can replicate indefinitely in the bacterial genome as defective probacteriophage; many defective bacteriophage's are mediators of transduction. Synonym: defective phage. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| temperate bacteriophage | Bacteriophage whose genome incorporates with, and replicates with, that of the host bacterium; dissociation (and resultant development of vegetative bacteriophage) occurs at a slow rate resulting occasionally in lysis of a bacterium and release of mature bacteriophage, thus rendering the bacterial culture capable of inducing general lysis if transferred to a culture of a susceptible bacterial strain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| typhoid bacteriophage | Bacteriophage specific for Salmonella typhi. (05 Mar 2000) |
| filamentous bacteriophage | <molecular biology> A type of single-stranded DNA bacteriophage (virus which infects bacteria) that has a capsid which is long and thin, like a filament. Examples include the viruses F1 and M13. (10 Mar 1998) |
| lambda bacteriophage | <virology> Bacterial DNA virus, first isolated from E. Coli. Its structure is similar to that of the T even phages. Lambda genetic material consists of a double-stranded DNA molecule with 5' twelve-base-pair sticky ends, known as cos sites, which permit circularisation of the DNA molecule. It shows a lytic cycle and a lysogenic cycle and studies on the control of these alternative cycles have been very important for our understanding of the regulation of gene transcription. It is used as a cloning vector, accommodating fragments of DNA up to 15 kilobase pairs long. For larger pieces, the cosmid vector was constructed from its ends. (14 Mar 2000) |
| lysosogenic bacteriophage | <virology> Bacteriophage that can take part in a lysogenic or lytic cycle in its bacterial host. See: lysogeny. (15 Oct 1997) |