Reisinger G R, Rietsch A, Lubitz W, Bläsi U
Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Vienna, Austria.
Virology. 1993 Apr;193(2):1033-6. doi: 10.1006/viro.1993.1222.
The lambda kil gene has been shown to be responsible for premature lysis effected by addition of chloramphenicol between 15 and 20 min after thermal induction of a lambda prophage. Here, we localized the kil reading frame. The kil gene, represented by lambda orf47, overlaps genes cIII and gam. Expression of the plasmid-borne kil gene resulted in growth arrest, a reduction of colony-forming units and filament formation. However, kil-mediated cell lysis could not be triggered by chloramphenicol when the plasmid borne kil gene was expressed, suggesting that kil-induced cell lysis requires the phage context.
