Indian Journal of Scientific Research
Year : 2017, Volume : 8, Issue : 1
First page : ( 231) Last page : ( 237)
Print ISSN : 0976-2876. Online ISSN : 2250-0138.

Bacteriophage λ: Biology and applications

Chandra Subhash*

Department of Botany, Sri Murli Manohar Town P. G. College, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh India

*Corresponding author

Online published on 24 May, 2018.

Abstract

Bacteriophage λ as a temperate phage was originally isolated from strain K-12 of Escherichia coli and are widely used for genetic recombination studies. The λ phage is made up of protein and nucleic acid as DNA. The head and tail are joined by the connector and the tail lacks tail sheath and tail fibre. Presence of maltose is necessary in growth medium for infection process because of the production of maltoporine, which acts as receptor site for bactiophage λ. The λ pahge genome consists of three distinct regions, the right operon, the left operon and immunity operon. These operons contain different types of genes that are responsible for DNAreplication, head and tail synthesis, their growth and lysis. Apart from these, the operon also regulates the lytic or lysogenic condition of phage by producing repressor protein. With these properties bacteriophage λ completed its life cycle in lysogenic and lytic phase, which is sometimes useful in genetic recombination of bacteria by the process called transduction. A biotechnological application is also achieved by preparation of genomic and c-DNA libraries of λ phage as vector of useful novel genes of other organisms.

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Keywords

Bacteriophage λ, Operon, Lytic Cycle, Lysogenic Cycle, Genomic and C-DNA library.

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