DELETIONS INDUCED BY HEAT TREATMENT OF E. COLI K12 LYSOGENIC FOR PROPHAGES

C. Marchelli ¹, P. Ghelardini ¹, and S. Nasi ¹

¹ Centro di Studio per gli Acidi Nucleici del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 00100 Rome, Italy

We have investigated the production of prophage deletions in heat-induced lysogens of E. coli K12. Our results are indicative of a direct action of the heat-induced prophage in producing deletions. The temperature of 40° used for the experiments may be critical to prove this effect. The phage function involved in deletion formation is not known.