Phenotypic consequences of altering the copy number of abiA, a gene responsible for aborting bacteriophage infections in Lactococcus lactis

Several genetic constructions were designed to examine the influence of abiA gene dosage variation on bacteriophage resistance in Lactococcus lactis. Phage DNA replication is blocked by an absortive phage infection mechanism encoded by the abiA gene. Phage resistance levels are greatly affected by modifying the gene dosage or expression level of abiA.