Temperate bacteriophages and polyheads produced in the L form of Staphylococcus aureus after mitomycin induction.
A lysogenic strain of Staphylococcus aureus was transformed into its protoplast L form. After stabilization and subcultivation in the L-form state for more than 200 subcultivations, it was tested for maintenance and inducibility of the temperent phage found in the parent strain. In the parent strain and L form, optimal phage production was inducible by 1 and 2 micrograms of mitomycin-C/ml. Besides regular phages with heads of approximately 35 X 85 nm, some L-form cells also produced polyheads of up to more than 1000 nm in length.
D007740:L Forms / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008242:Lysogeny; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013204:Staphylococcus Phages / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D014775:Virus Activation / Q000187:drug effects*
D008937:Mitomycins; D016685:Mitomycin