Different types of thermoconditional clear plaque-mutants and prophage induction by heat or cold of Serratia phage kappa.
Phage kappa of Seratia marcescens was treated with different mutagens to induce thermoconditional clear plaque-mutants. 176 mutants obtained were analysed by crosses and found to be located in clear plaque-region III. Two types resembling the mutants t2 and t1 of phage lambda were identified. Lysogens for the mutant 126 can be induced by heat and even by cold whereas they are scarcely inducible by uv. Nevertheless, a 126 prophage like a uv inducible ct 163 prophage can be sensitized to thermoinduction by short preirradiation if the cells are incubated for 30 to 45 min between uv exposure and heating. With ct 163 this time corresponds to the minimum extension of latent period after uv induction compared with infection at low moi. A mutant of clear plaque-region II, c154, shows an inverted thermoconditional behaviour forming clear plaques at 30 degrees C and turbid plaques due to lysogenization at 37 degrees C.