Role of S gene product of bacteriophage lambda in host cell lysis

Abstract

Studies with the induced lysogens of λ S ⁺R⁺, λS^-R⁺, λS⁺R^- and λS^-R^- phages have shown that while the S gene product is essential for the action of intracellular R gene product to release the periplasmic alkaline phosphatase in the presence of EDTA, the latter gene product can bring about this effect while acting on Escherichia coli cells from outside, in the absence of functional S gene product; chloroform, could help the intracellular R gene product in effecting bacterial lysis in the absence of S gene product. These result support the premise that the S gene product facilitates the R gene product in crossing the cytoplasmic membrane into the periplasmic space such that the latter can act on the peptidoglycan layer of the host cell thus causing both the release of alkaline phosphatase and cell lysis.