title: Bacteriophages: how bacterial spores capture and protect phage DNA.
abstract: A recent study explains how bacterial spores capture and protect phage DNA, which remains free in the host cytoplasm but is unable to initiate the virulence pathway that leads to lysis of actively growing bacterial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts Unversity School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Abraham L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sonenshein
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000821:virology; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012808:Sigma Factor; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases