Dept. Microbiology
Sapporo Medical College
West 17, South l.
Saoooro, Japan

November 17, 195k

Dear Professor Lederberg:

I have received your letter of November 9 for which
I have been waiting and am exceedingly grateful. I would
like to thank you profoundly for your courtesy.

As to 2) and 4) after discussion of VIII, page ll,
that you have pointed out in your last letter, the
experiments have not come to a final conclusion as yet
and I would like to add some further experiments. We have

_sfound that rough variant cells of E> group are still
(A ysogenized but not altered antigenically. Phages
obtained from rough cells of Ep group are also capable of
inducing antigenic variation from 4,10 to 4,15 in E
group cells. This indicates that the lysogenic state is
not always associated with the formation of 15 antigenic
factor, but it is still true that the phages have something
to do with the formation of 15 factor.’
"A small number" means about 17 phage particles.
"Several" means 7 serial passages.
With regards to page 18-19, 15), I respect your opinion.

I would also express my appreciation for your kind
invitation to become a member of the Society. I would be
very happy to become a regular member and I can send the
due for the year 1955, if you would kindly send me a 'bill',
which would make things easy for me. I would be able to
grounds to ask for the l2 dollars.

I have made a series of experiments to compare "our
phenomenon" with your "transduction". Streptomycin-
resistant cells were derived from Eo group strains and
bacteriophages were obtained from these SM-resistant cells.
When Ej] group cells were exposed to the phages, two types
of SM-resistant variant were obtained; SM-resistant and
antigenically altered cells, and SM-resistant (but anti+
genically not altered) cells. The former were found lysogenic
while the latter not lysogenic. And the latter weve further
converted antigenically from 3,10 to 4,15 by phages obtained
from SM-sensitive cells of Eo group. The same phenomena
were also observed when we used phages which were obtained
from SM-sensitive cells of Ep group and were propagated
on SM-resistant cells of Ey group (donor cells). Both
types of SM-resistant variant occurred at a rate of about
one per 10/_,gells exposed to the phages. This rate is
very much lower than that of antigenic variation by phage,
and is similar to that of transduction. These and other
data indicate that induction of SM-resistance is due to
transduction. The above seems to be 'clear-cut! which
indicated that the two phenomena are not inentical.

 

[1ysogente but we have not isolated as yet a smooth cell |
~

~ GER CERT Bok arca st This space is also for correspondence.

I wish to write on the above in another manuscript
and I would appreciate it if you would approve.

Yours sincerely,

Hinav llitaher
Hisao Uetake
Professor of Microbiology

HU:mn