Encapsidated Conformation of Bacteriophage T7 DNA

The structural organization of encapsidated T7 DNA was investigated by cryo-electron microscopy and image processing. A tail-deletion mutant was found to present two preferred views of phage heads: views along the axis through the capsid vertex where the connector protein resides and via which DNA i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell 1997-10, Vol.91 (2), p.271-280
Main Authors: Cerritelli, Mario E, Cheng, Naiqian, Rosenberg, Alan H, McPherson, Catherine E, Booy, Frank P, Steven, Alasdair C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteriophage T7 - genetics
Bacteriophage T7 - ultrastructure
Capsid - chemistry
Capsid - ultrastructure
DNA, Viral - chemistry
DNA, Viral - ultrastructure
Escherichia coli
Genome, Viral
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Microscopy, Electron
Nucleic Acid Conformation
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Summary:The structural organization of encapsidated T7 DNA was investigated by cryo-electron microscopy and image processing. A tail-deletion mutant was found to present two preferred views of phage heads: views along the axis through the capsid vertex where the connector protein resides and via which DNA is packaged; and side views perpendicular to this axis. The resulting images reveal striking patterns of concentric rings in axial views, and punctate arrays in side views. As corroborated by computer modeling, these data establish that the T7 chromosome is spooled around this axis in approximately six coaxial shells in a quasi-crystalline packing, possibly guided by the core complex on the inner surface of the connector.
ISSN:0092-8674
1097-4172
DOI:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80409-2