Lysis from without

Stephen Abedon

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Department of Microbiology; The Ohio State University; Mansfield, OH USA

^{Corresponding author.}

Correspondence to: Stephen T. Abedon; Email: ude.uso@1.nodeba

Department of Microbiology; The Ohio State University; Mansfield, OH USA

Correspondence to: Stephen T. Abedon; Email: ude.uso@1.nodeba

Received 2010 Aug 25; Revised 2010 Oct 19; Accepted 2010 Oct 20.

Abstract

In this commentary I consider use of the term “lysis from without” (LO) along with the phenomenon's biological relevance. LO originally described an early bacterial lysis induced by high-multiplicity virion adsorption and that occurs without phage production (here indicated as LO_V). Notably, this is more than just high phage multiplicities of adsorption leading to bacterial killing. The action on bacteria of exogenously supplied phage lysin, too, has been described as a form of LO (here, LO_L). LO_V has been somewhat worked out mechanistically for T4 phages, has been used to elucidate various phage-associated phenomena including discovery of the phage eclipse, may be relevant to phage ecology, and, with resistance to LO (LO_R), is blocked by certain phage gene products. Speculation as to the impact of LO_V on phage therapy also is fairly common. Since LO_V assays are relatively easily performed and not all phages are able to induce LO_V, a phage's potential to lyse bacteria without first infecting should be subject to at least in vitro experimental confirmation before the LO_V label is applied. The term “abortive infection” may be used more generally to describe non-productive phage infections that kill bacteria.

Key words: abortive infection, bacteriophage, lysin, lysis, lysis from without, phage therapy

Abstract

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Bob Blasdel and Cameron Thomas-Abedon along with three anonymous reviewers for their help in refining the manuscript.

Acknowledgments

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