KAPPA PARTICLE

kappa particle: translation

Gram negative bacterial endosymbiont of Paramecium spp., ( Caedobacter taeniospiralis), that confers the "killer" trait; infected Paramecium are resistant to the toxin liberated by infected forms. Killing activity is associated with the induction of defective phage in the endosymbiont, leading to the release of R-bodies, coded for by the phage genome and apparently of mis-assembled phage-coat protein.