Biomaterial Database

Interaction between bacteriophage Sf6 and Shigella flexner. 1978

A A Lindberg, and R Wollin, and P Gemski, and J A Wohlhieter

The Shigella flexneri phage Sf6 has an isometric head with hexagonal symmetry 53nm in diameter. The noncontractile tails in 16 nm long and terminates with a base plate containing six spikes. Sf6 is typical of the C phages in the morphological classification of Bradley. Phage Sf6 processes alpha-1,3-endorhamnosidase activity as demonstrated by methylation and reducing end group sugar analyses of the products obtained on interaction with the O-polysaccharide chain of S.flexneri strains which have the O-group 3,4 antigen. The major end product was an octasaccharide with the following structure: Rha III-GlcNAc-Rha I-Rha II-Rha III-GlcNAc-Rha I-Rha II. Acetylation of 0-2 of rhamnose III of the O-polysaccharide chain, either brought about by Sf6 lysogenization or found in wild-type S. flexneri (3b) strains, prevented enzymatic hydrolysis. O-deacetylation of the polysaccharide chain again made it susceptible to the S6f endorhamnosidase.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008242	Lysogeny	The phenomenon by which a temperate phage incorporates itself into the DNA of a bacterial host, establishing a kind of symbiotic relation between PROPHAGE and bacterium which results in the perpetuation of the prophage in all the descendants of the bacterium. Upon induction (VIRUS ACTIVATION) by various agents, such as ultraviolet radiation, the phage is released, which then becomes virulent and lyses the bacterium.	Integration, Prophage,Prophage Integration,Integrations, Prophage,Prophage Integrations
D011135	Polysaccharides, Bacterial	Polysaccharides found in bacteria and in capsules thereof.	Bacterial Polysaccharides
D003090	Coliphages	Viruses whose host is Escherichia coli.	Escherichia coli Phages,Coliphage,Escherichia coli Phage,Phage, Escherichia coli,Phages, Escherichia coli
D000942	Antigens, Bacterial	Substances elaborated by bacteria that have antigenic activity.	Bacterial Antigen,Bacterial Antigens,Antigen, Bacterial
D012210	Rhamnose	A methylpentose whose L- isomer is found naturally in many plant glycosides and some gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharides.	Deoxymannose,Rhamnose, L-Isomer,Rhamnose, L Isomer
D012763	Shigella flexneri	A bacterium which is one of the etiologic agents of bacillary dysentery (DYSENTERY, BACILLARY) and sometimes of infantile gastroenteritis.