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Tail‐fiber attachement in bacteriophage T4D studied by quasielastic light scattering–band electrophoresis
Author(s) -
Baran George J.,
Bloomfield Victor A.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/bip.1978.360170815
Subject(s) - chemistry , electrophoresis , scattering , dipole , diffusion , molecular physics , fiber , moment (physics) , charge (physics) , analytical chemistry (journal) , atomic physics , optics , physics , thermodynamics , chromatography , classical mechanics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Mixtures of bacteriophage T4D particles with up to six tail fibres attached were seprated and analyzed in a quasielastic light scattering‐band electrophoresis apparatus. The electrophoretic mobilities and diffusion coefficients of the seprated bands were determined during the same experiment. Species differing in mobility by 0.05 × 10 −4 cm 2 /V sec were resolved. Henry's electropheresis theory for spheres indicates that each tail fiber contributes about 140 effective positive charges to the phage structure. Estimate of the charge using the permanent dipole moment and the electrophorectic mobility (Bontje et. al. (1977) Biopolymers 16 , 551–572) gives an effective charge of + 230 to −250 per tail fiber. The charge distribution on the fiberless particles was estimated to be −3380 on the head and −290 on the tail if the dipole moment was assumed positive and −1400 on the head and −1000 on the tail for a negative dipole. Tail‐fiber attachement does not proceed to completion in our invitro system, as substantial distributions as a function of tail‐fiber input indicates the reaction is a random, noncooperative process.