Download MendeleyAsymmetric structure of podophage N4 from the Schitoviridae family reveals a type of tube-sheath short-tail architecture.
Zheng, J., Pang, H., Xiao, H., Zhou, J., Liu, Z., Chen, W., Liu, H.(2025) Structure 33: 1250-1262.e2
- PubMed: 40318628
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2025.04.008
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9LBZ, 9LC0, 9LC1, 9LD7 - PubMed Abstract:
The tails of the majority of reported podophages are typically composed of an adaptor, a nozzle, and a needle, and flanked by six or twelve fibers. However, the Schitoviridae family, as represented by podophage N4, exhibits a different tail architecture that remains poorly understood. In this study, we employed cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine the atomic structures of mature and empty podophage N4 particles. The N4 tail, which is connected to the head by a portal and flanked by 12 fibers, comprises an adaptor, a 12-fold extended tail tube encircled by a 6-fold tail sheath, and a plug. The extended tail sheath is composed of two proteins, gp65 and gp64. Furthermore, we identified two distinct tail conformations in the mature podophage N4. Our structures provide insights into the mechanisms of ejection and early transcription of podophage N4, as well as for N4-like phages and CrAssphages.
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, Key Laboratory for Matter Microstructure and Function of Hunan Province, Key Laboratory of Low-dimensional Quantum Structures and Quantum Control, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410082, China; The National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, Peptide and Small Molecule Drug R&D Platform, Furong Laboratory, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China.
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