Phage N4 uses a SAR endolysin-holin system for host cell lysis.

Phage N4 of Escherichia coli uses a SAR endolysin–holin lysis system, with specific N4 genomic regions linked to lysis inhibition (LIN) in LIN-inducing conditions.

• Why it matters: LIN can delay host death and increase progeny yield, but N4’s lysis proteins and their regulation are not conserved with the well-studied Escherichia coli phage T4.
• What they did: The study defined the minimal N4 gene set for lysis using heterologous expression and complementation, then used sequence comparison to a mutant library lacking LIN to pinpoint LIN-associated genomic regions.
• The result: N4 lysis proteins that execute rapid lysis are proposed to be regulated to induce LIN, suggesting lysis initiation modulation may be shared across phages despite T4–N4 differences.

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