VIRION
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Non-enveloped, head-tail structure. The icosahedral head is about 50 nm in diameter. The tail is about 70 nm in length, contractile, has six straight fibers and a base plate.
GENOME
Linear, highly, maybe completely, circularly permuted dsDNA genome of about 46-49 kb, encoding for 66-71 proteins. Also encodes a single tRNA.
GENE EXPRESSION
Genes are transcribed by operons.
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 viral DNA. 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.