Georgopoulos C, Tilly K
Prog Clin Biol Res. 1981;64:21-34.
Because of their small genome size and their parasitic way of life, bacteriophages have obligatorily evolved in such a way as to efficiently utilize many of the bacterial functions necessary for DNA replication, transcription, translation, and morphogenesis. In many instances the phage and host functions act in parallel in these processes, e.g. T4 and host DNA ligase. The specific nature of the host's contribution to phage morphogenesis is being pursued by the studies summarized here. The isolation and characterization of bacterial mutants which block phage morphogenesis, albeit at a preliminary stage, has already contributed considerable genetic information about the host's role. Future biochemical experiments, such as in vitro reconstitution, will help define the level of action of these bacterial gene products in the phage assembly process.
由于噬菌体基因组规模小且以寄生方式生存，它们必然以高效利用DNA复制、转录、翻译和形态发生所需的许多细菌功能的方式进化。在许多情况下，噬菌体和宿主功能在这些过程中并行发挥作用，例如T4噬菌体和宿主DNA连接酶。本文总结的研究正在探究宿主对噬菌体形态发生贡献的具体性质。尽管尚处于初步阶段，但阻断噬菌体形态发生的细菌突变体的分离和表征已经提供了大量关于宿主作用的遗传信息。未来的生化实验，如体外重组，将有助于确定这些细菌基因产物在噬菌体组装过程中的作用水平。
