VIRION
Non-enveloped, head-tail structure. The icosahedral head is about 93 nm in diameter. Has a neck without a collar, and a small base plate. The tail of about 140 nm in width and 20 nm in length is contractile. Fibers about 38 nm in length are attached on the tail.
GENOME
Linear, dsDNA genome of about 155 kb, encoding for 190 to 216 proteins, and one to seven tRNAs.
GENE EXPRESSION
Genes are transcribed by operons.
ENZYMES
- DNA-directed DNA polymerase [C8XUU9]
- Cysteine protease (Peptidase C51) C8XUI0
- Cysteine protease (Peptidase S77) [A0A0N7C9I2]
- Endonuclease [C8XUD4]
- Topoisomerase [C8XUB6]
- Ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase [C8XUI5, C8XUI7]
REPLICATION
CYTOPLASMIC
- Adsorption: the phage attaches to the target cell through its tail fibers.
- Ejection of the viral DNA into host cell cytoplasm by contraction of the tail sheath.
- Transcription and translation of early genes.
- Replication of the viral genome. Transcription and translation of late genes.
- Assembly of an empty procapsid and packaging of the genome.
- Viral tail fibers assembly and viral tail assembly.
- Mature virions are released from the cell by lysis.