: an intracellular form of a bacteriophage in which it is harmless to the host, is usually integrated into the hereditary material of the host, and reproduces when the host does
Examples of prophage in a Sentence
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But sometimes, a prophage gets trapped by a crippling mutation.
—
Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2011
In their analysis of infant stool samples, Vatanen, Jabbar and their colleagues identified an apparent example: A prophage that was integrated into the DNA of one bacterial species showed up in a different bacterium months later.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Jan. 2023
Within the bacterial genome, the viral DNA is called a prophage.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2011
The prophage is little more than a genetic parasite.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2011
Once activated, the prophage cuts itself out of the bacterial genome, replicates and then packages its DNA into phages.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2018
Known as a prophage, this stretch of foreign DNA can persist for generations before activating.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2018
In the right conditions—say, if the bacteria are damaged, stressed, or exposed to certain conditions—prophages can awaken.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 1 Feb. 2018
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Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2011
In their analysis of infant stool samples, Vatanen, Jabbar and their colleagues identified an apparent example: A prophage that was integrated into the DNA of one bacterial species showed up in a different bacterium months later.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Jan. 2023
Within the bacterial genome, the viral DNA is called a prophage.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2011
The prophage is little more than a genetic parasite.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2011
Once activated, the prophage cuts itself out of the bacterial genome, replicates and then packages its DNA into phages.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2018
Known as a prophage, this stretch of foreign DNA can persist for generations before activating.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2018
In the right conditions—say, if the bacteria are damaged, stressed, or exposed to certain conditions—prophages can awaken.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 1 Feb. 2018
Dictionary Entries Near prophage
Cite this Entry
“Prophage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prophage. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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