Architecture of the flexible tail tube of bacteriophage SPP1

Maximilian Zinke, Katrin A. A. Sachowsky, Carl Oester, Sophie Zinn-Justin, Raimond Ravelli, Gunnar F. Schroeder*, Michael Habeck*, Adam Lange*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Bacteriophage SPP1 is a double-stranded DNA virus of the Siphoviridae family that infects the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. This family of phages features a long, flexible, non-contractile tail that has been difficult to characterize structurally. Here, we present the atomic structure of the tail tube of phage SPP1. Our hybrid structure is based on the integration of structural restraints from solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and a density map from cryo-EM. We show that the tail tube protein gp17.1 organizes into hexameric rings that are stacked by flexible linker domains and, thus, form a hollow flexible tube with a negatively charged lumen suitable for the transport of DNA. Additionally, we assess the dynamics of the system by combining relaxation measurements with variances in density maps. Bacteriophages of the Siphoviridae family have a long, flexible, non-contractile tail that has been difficult to characterize structurally. Here, the authors present the atomic structure of the tail tube of one of these phages, showing a hollow flexible tube formed by hexameric rings stacked by flexible linkers.

Original languageEnglish
Article number5759
Number of pages9
JournalNature Communications
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Nov 2020

Keywords

  • CRYO-EM STRUCTURE
  • NMR-SPECTROSCOPY
  • PROTEIN
  • DYNAMICS
  • FIBRILS
  • SYSTEM

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