The properties of a temperate bacteriophage Wφ isolated fromEscherichia colistrain W

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Abstract
Escherichia coli strain W was found to be lysogenic for a temperate phage Wφ. This phage, which plates on E. coli C, forms λ-like plaques 2–3 mm. diameter with turbid centres. It is serologically unrelated to λ but is closely related to P2 which it resembles in the electron microscope. Its buoyant density in CsCl has been measured and it is different from λ but similar to P2. E. coli C made lysogenic for Wφ restricts the growth of λ, and elsewhere (Kerszman, Glover & Aronovitch, 1967) it has been shown that the DNA of phage λ is degraded shortly after infection of bacteria lysogenic for Wφ. A mutant of Wφ has been isolated which has lost the property of restricting the growth of λ.