VIRION
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Non-enveloped, head-tail structure. The head is about 60 nm in diameter. The tail is non-contractile and very flexible, about 151 nm in length and 8 nm in width, with 4 short kinked terminal fibers.
GENOME
Linear, dsDNA genome of about 50 kb, terminally redundant and circularly permuted, containing about 80 genes.
GENE EXPRESSION
REPLICATION
CYTOPLASMIC
- The phage attaches to the target cell adhesion receptor FhuA through its tail fibers.
- Ejection of the viral DNA into host cell cytoplasm by long flexible tail ejection system.
- Transcription and translation of early genes.
- Replication of genomic DNA, formation of viral genome concatemers.
- Transcription and translation of late genes
- Assembly of an empty procapsid and packaging of the genome through a headful mechanism.
- Viral tail fibers assembly and viral tail assembly.
- Mature virions are released from the cell by lysis.