Molecular biology
VIRION
Nonenveloped, head-tail structure. The head is about 53 nm in diameter and consists of 72 capsomers. Tails are flexible with 4 tail fibers.
GENOME
Linear, dsDNA genome of about 43 kb, encoding about 50 proteins.
GENE EXPRESSION
REPLICATION
CYTOPLASMIC
- Adsorption: the phage attaches to target cell trhough its tail fibers.
- Viral lysozyme degrades cell wall locally
- Injection: viral DNA is injected in host cell periplasm
- DNA genome is circularized or integrated into host chromosome
- Transcription and traduction of early genes
- Replication of genomic DNA
- Transcription and traduction of late genes
- Assembly of new virions in host cell cytoplasm
- Mature virions are released from the cell by lysis