title: Conservation of the N-terminus of some phage tail proteins.
abstract: To study the interaction between lipopolysaccharide and protein, a comparative approach was employed using seven Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium typing phages as the protein model systems. This interaction has been studied in detail in the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium phage P22 system and involves only the viral tailspike protein. Similarity between these phages and phage P22 was monitored in this Report by assaying restriction endonuclease digestions, capsid size, reactivity to the P22 tailspike protein monoclonal antibody, mAb92, which reacts with the N-terminus of the P22 tail protein and the ability to produce a PCR fragment using primers made to the ends of the P22 tailspike gene. The data indicate that tailspike similarity exists between most of these phages and a scheme reclassifying them is presented and that the N-terminus of the P22 tailspike protein may be a motif for many phage systems and may serve as a aid in the taxonomy of phages. The data suggest a classification scheme in which the N-terminus of some tailspike proteins (head-binding region in some tail proteins) may play a critical element role in the classification of Salmonella viruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico. drbob@psm.edu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villafane
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salgado
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D017100:Bacteriophage P22 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012483:Salmonella Phages / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D012485:Salmonella typhi / Q000821:virology; D017376:Viral Tail Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D017376:Viral Tail Proteins; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C083268:tailspike protein, bacteriophage