Abstract
Phage lambda is among the simplest organisms that make a developmental decision. An infected bacterium goes either into the lytic state, where the phage particles rapidly replicate and eventually lyse the cell, or into a lysogenic state, where the phage goes dormant and replicates along with the cell. Experimental observations by P. Kourilsky are consistent with a single phage infection deterministically choosing lysis and double infection resulting in a stochastic choice. We argue that the phage are playing a "game" of minimizing the chance of extinction and that the shift from determinism to stochasticity is due to a shift from a single-player to a multiplayer game. Crucial to the argument is the clonal identity of the phage.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Journal of Virology |
| Vol/bind | 83 |
| Udgave nummer | 22 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 11416-20 |
| Antal sider | 5 |
| ISSN | 0022-538X |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - nov. 2009 |
| Udgivet eksternt | Ja |