Genomic transfer via membrane vesicle: a strategy of giant phage phiKZ for early infection.

ABSTRACT: During infection, the giant phiKZ phage forms a specialized structure at the center of the host cell called the phage nucleus. This structure is crucial for safeguarding viral DNA against bacterial nucleases and for segregating the transcriptional activities of late genes. Here, we describe a morphological entity, the early phage infection (EPI) vesicle, which appears to be responsible for earlier gene segregation at the beginning of the infection process. Using cryo-electron microscopy, electron tomography (ET), and fluorescence microscopy with membrane-specific dyes, we demonstrated that the EPI vesicle is enclosed in a lipid bilayer originating, apparently, from the inner membrane of the bacterial cell. Our investigations further disclose that the phiKZ EPI vesicle contains both viral D

SUBMITTER: Antonova D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11494934 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature