Bacillus subtilis Mutation Blocking Irreversible Binding of Bacteriophage SPP1

Abstract
B. subtilis mutants (168) were isolated which allow absorption but not infection by bacteriophage SPP1. The adsorbed phages can be subsequently recovered in active form. From 10 other bacteriophages tested, only the SPP1-related phages 41c, 22a, p15 and SF6 failed to plate on the mutant cells. The mutation responsible for this behavior (pha-2) was mapped by PBS1 transduction, showing 95% contransduction with ald-1.