Structures of a T1-like siphophage reveal capsid stabilization mechanisms and high structural similarities with a myophage

IF 4.4 2区生物学 Q2 BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Structure Pub Date : 2025-02-05 DOI:10.1016/j.str.2025.01.012

Can Cai, Yueting Wang, Yunshu Liu, Qianqian Shao, Aohan Wang, Lin Li, Yaqi Zheng, Tianyi Zhang, Ziwen Luo, Chongguang Yang, Qianglin Fang

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Bacteriophage T1, a member of Siphoviruses, infects Escherichia coli with high efficiency, making it a promising candidate for phage therapy. Here, we report the near-atomic structures of FCWL1, a T1-like phage that belongs to the T1 phage family. We focus on the head, the head-to-tail interface, and its surrounding components. The hexameric capsomer displays unique gaps between neighboring A domains of the major capsid proteins. These gaps are partially filled by the N-loop of the decoration protein, which adopts a unique conformation. These structural features suggest that the phage might employ a novel strategy for stabilizing its head. Furthermore, despite being a siphophage, the head and head-to-tail connector of the phage show high structural similarity to those of a myophage. These findings enhance our understanding of the structure, capsid stabilization mechanism, and evolution of phages in the T1 family.

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来源期刊

Structure 生物-生化与分子生物学

CiteScore

8.90

自引率

1.80%

发文量

155

审稿时长

3-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Structure aims to publish papers of exceptional interest in the field of structural biology. The journal strives to be essential reading for structural biologists, as well as biologists and biochemists that are interested in macromolecular structure and function. Structure strongly encourages the submission of manuscripts that present structural and molecular insights into biological function and mechanism. Other reports that address fundamental questions in structural biology, such as structure-based examinations of protein evolution, folding, and/or design, will also be considered. We will consider the application of any method, experimental or computational, at high or low resolution, to conduct structural investigations, as long as the method is appropriate for the biological, functional, and mechanistic question(s) being addressed. Likewise, reports describing single-molecule analysis of biological mechanisms are welcome. In general, the editors encourage submission of experimental structural studies that are enriched by an analysis of structure-activity relationships and will not consider studies that solely report structural information unless the structure or analysis is of exceptional and broad interest. Studies reporting only homology models, de novo models, or molecular dynamics simulations are also discouraged unless the models are informed by or validated by novel experimental data; rationalization of a large body of existing experimental evidence and making testable predictions based on a model or simulation is often not considered sufficient.