Adsorption of T4 bacteriophage to the Escherichia coli host cell is mediated by six long and six short tail fibres. After at least three long tail fibres have bound, short tail fibres extend and bind irreversibly to the core region of the host cell lipo-polysaccharide (LPS), serving as inextensible stays during penetration of the cell envelope by the tail tube ...
Adsorption of T4 bacteriophage to the Escherichia coli host cell is mediated by six long and six short tail fibres. After at least three long tail fibres have bound, short tail fibres extend and bind irreversibly to the core region of the host cell lipo-polysaccharide (LPS), serving as inextensible stays during penetration of the cell envelope by the tail tube. The short tail fibres consist of a parallel, in-register, trimer of gene product 12 (gp12).X-ray crystallography at 1.5A resolution of a protease-stable fragment of gp12 generated in the presence of zinc chloride reveals the structure of the C-terminal receptor-binding domain. It has a novel "knitted" fold, consisting of three extensively intertwined monomers. It reveals a metal-binding site, containing a zinc ion coordinated by six histidine residues in an octahedral conformation. We also suggest an LPS-binding region.
Related Citations:
Crystal Structure of a Heat- and Protease-Stable Part of the Bacteriophage T4 Short Tail Fibre van Raaij, M.J., Schoehn, G., Burda, M.R., Miller, S. (2001) J Mol Biol 314: 1137
Identification and Crystallisation of a Heat- and Protease-Stable Fragment of the Bacteriophage T4 Short Tail Fibre van Raaij, M.J., Schoehn, G., Jaquinod, M., Ashman, K., Burda, M.R., Miller, S. (2001) Biol Chem 382: 1049
Stability of Bacteriophage T4 Short Tail Fiber Burda, M.R., Hindennach, I., Miller, S. (2000) Biol Chem 381: 255
Folding of Coliphage T4 Short Tail Fiber in Vitro. Analysing the Role of a Bacteriophage-Encoded Chaperone Burda, M.R., Miller, S. (1999) Eur J Biochem 265: 771
Organizational Affiliation:
Biophysical Structural Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, NL-2333 CC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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