title: Role of the amino-terminal domain of bacteriophage phi 29 connector in DNA binding and packaging.
abstract: The connector of bacteriophage phi 29 is required for prohead assembly, binds DNA, and drives DNA packaging into viral proheads. Limited proteolysis of the connector protein with endoproteinase Glu-C from Staphylococcus aureus V8 and chymotrypsin showed that a domain of the NH2-terminal region is involved in DNA binding and in the subsequent packaging into preformed proheads, but not in prohead assembly. Mutants in specific amino acids of the NH2-terminal domain, obtained by directed mutagenesis techniques, showed that the Ala1-Arg2-Lys3-Arg4 region of the connector is absolutely necessary for DNA packaging into the proheads as well as for efficient DNA binding.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Donate
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Valpuesta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rocher
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rojo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Carrascosa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D002213:Capsid / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000378:metabolism; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D002918:Chymotrypsin; C028344:glutamyl endopeptidase