title: Persistence of bacteriophage T4 in a starved Escherichia coli culture: evidence for the presence of phage subpopulations.
abstract: Bacteriophage T4 is able to adjust its development to the growth parameters of the host cell. Here, we present evidence for the production of two different subpopulations of phage particles, which differ in their ability to infect starved Escherichia coli cells. The ability of phage T4 to produce a fraction of virions unable to infect starved cells is linked to the functions of genes rI and rIII, as well as rIIA. This may represent the adaptation of phage T4 in order to persist in unfavourable environmental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology (affiliated with The University of Gdańsk), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kładki 24, 80-822 Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Golec
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiczk
authors.forename: Joanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Łoś
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Konopa
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Węgrzyn
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Łoś
mesh_terms: D017122:Bacteriophage T4 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000821:virology*; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005814:Genes, Viral; D050296:Microbial Viability