title: Flagellar determinants of bacterial sensitivity to chi-phage.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Pitta
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Danese
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Berg
mesh_terms: D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000821:virology*; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D012475:Salmonella / Q000821:virology*; D012705:Serratia / Q000821:virology*