Open AccessFlagellar determinants of bacterial sensitivity to χ-phage
Author(s) -
Aravinthan D. T. Samuel,
Thomas P. Pitta,
William S. Ryu,
Paul N. Danese,
Edward Leung,
Howard C. Berg
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.96.17.9863
Subject(s) - protein filament , flagellin , flagellum , bacteriophage , biology , bacterial cell structure , dna , microbiology and biotechnology , biophysics , bacteria , escherichia coli , genetics , gene
Bacteriophage χ is known to infect motile strains of enteric bacteria by adsorbing randomly along the length of a flagellar filament and then injecting its DNA into the bacterial cell at the filament base. Here, we provide evidence for a “nut and bolt” model for translocation of phage along the filament: the tail fiber of χ fits the grooves formed by helical rows of flagellin monomers, and active flagellar rotation forces the phage to follow the grooves as a nut follows the threads of a bolt.
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