The Effect of Ionizing Radiation on the Capacity of Bacteria to Sustain Phage Growth

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Abstract
The ability of Escherichia coli to support growth of phages T1 and T2 has different sensitivity to ionizing radiation. The capacity for T1 is roughly 10 times as sensitive as the virus alone, as regards deuteron and [alpha]-particle bombardment. T2 capacity sensitivity is roughly one-tenth the virus sensitivity. The host-virus complex showed no multiple-hit inactivation as far as 85% into the latent period for [alpha]-particle, deuteron, or X-ray bombardment. If a desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule, needing two ionizations, is taken to be the sensitive target, the total sensitive lengths are: Colony formation = 2700[mu]; T1 capacity - 48[mu]; T2 capacity - 1.8[mu]; T1 initial host-virus complex -55[mu]. "Capacity" is hypothesized to include a phage release factor, supposedly a surplus of protein made by the capacity unit. Only when this surplus exceeds specific DNA with which it can combine to form virus, does the concentration rise sufficiently to permit release.

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