Baseplate assembly of phage Mu: Defining the conserved core components of contractile-tailed phages and related bacterial systems.

ABSTRACT: Contractile phage tails are powerful cell puncturing nanomachines that have been co-opted by bacteria for self-defense against both bacteria and eukaryotic cells. The tail of phage T4 has long served as the paradigm for understanding contractile tail-like systems despite its greater complexity compared with other contractile-tailed phages. Here, we present a detailed investigation of the assembly of a "simple" contractile-tailed phage baseplate, that of Escherichia coli phage Mu. By coexpressing various combinations of putative Mu baseplate proteins, we defined the required components of this baseplate and delineated its assembly pathway. We show that the Mu baseplate is constructed through the independent assembly of wedges that are organized around a central hub complex. The Mu wedges ar

SUBMITTER: Buttner CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5018775 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature