Flagellar determinants of bacterial sensitivity to chi-phage.
Bacteriophage chi is known to infect motile strains of enteric bacteria by adsorbing randomly along the length of a flagellar filament and then injecting its DNA into the bacterial cell at the filament base. Here, we provide evidence for a "nut and bolt" model for translocation of phage along the filament: the tail fiber of chi fits the grooves formed by helical rows of flagellin monomers, and active flagellar rotation forces the phage to follow the grooves as a nut follows the threads of a bolt.
Samuel
A D
AD
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Pitta
T P
TP
Ryu
W S
WS
Danese
P N
PN
Leung
E C
EC
Berg
H C
HC
D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000821:virology*; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D012475:Salmonella / Q000821:virology*; D012705:Serratia / Q000821:virology*