Regulation of Integration and Replication Functions of Bacteriophage Mu
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Excerpt
Upon infection of Escherichia coli cells, bacteriophage Mu, like bacteriophage λ, can either become stably integrated into a host chromosome or develop lytically, leading to a phage burst and death of the cell. The choice between these two alternatives is, for λ, dependent on the concentrations of repressor and int-gene proteins, which are influenced by a large number of phage and host factors.
The regulation of Mu development also seems to be complex and is in many aspects similar to that of λ (van de Putte et al. 1978). The relationship between integration and replication, however, is substantially different with λ and with Mu. With λ the choice between lysogeny or lytic development is, in fact, a choice between integration and replication, and these two processes need distinct functions. With Mu, however, integration seems to be an essential feature of its replication process, and both processes are dependent on the...
