Tovkach F. Lysogeny and bacteriphages for Erwinia carotovora

It was determined the lysogenic state for the phytopathogenic soft rot bacteria Erwinia carotovora; theirs temperate and virulent bacteriophages were detected. At the first time proved that defective lysogeny is the innate property of E.carotovora, as species. The cells of these bacteria produce particular phage parts (baseplates, heads, and tails) but do not assemble them into fully functional phage particles. The lysogeny of pectolytic phytopathogenic bacteria is expressed by theirs bacteriocinogenicity. The phage-tail-like bacteriocins (the macromolecular carotovoricins) are the main killers for the related bacteria. The temperate phage ZF40 proved to be a typical member of the Myoviridae family (morphotype A1). It establishes the true lysogeny in E.carotovora. Molecular-biological properties of two temperate heteroimmune phages 49 and 59 (morphotype B1) have been comparatively studied. It is supposed that phage 49 is the recombination (hybrid) derivate of phage 59 and unknown phage. The virulent bacteriophage F44 has polyvalent nature. It belongs to the Podoviridae family (morphotype C1). This phage can be the important genetic tool for receiving useful bacterial mutants in erwinias. The lypopolysaccharide molecules of erwinias contain a receptor sites for carotovoricins and bacteriophages ZF40, 49, 59, F44, T2, and T4. It was shown that, in E.carotovora, the phage-cell interaction can be substantially blocked at the states of adsorption, restriction-modification and phage immunity levels. The cryptic plasmids of E.carotovora are not responsible for their resistance to antibiotics and not involved in the synthesis of macromolecular and colicin-like carotovoricins. The population dissociation of erwinias is not associated with the loss of residential plasmids by cells.