VIRION
Non-enveloped, head-tail structure. The icosahedral capsid is about 64 nm with myoviral morphology. The tails is contractile, about 170 x 18 nm, with short terminal fibers.
GENOME
Linear dsDNA genome of about 59 kb, encoding for approximately 97 proteins. The genome is terminally redundant and circularly permuted.
GENE EXPRESSION
Genes are transcribed by operons. Early transcription is regulated by viral antisens mRNA
ENZYMES
- DNA-methyltransferase [DNAmet1, DNAmet1]
- Transposase [Transp1, Transp2]
- Terminase [TermL, TermS]
- NTPase [NTPase]
- Integrase [INT]
- HNH-type endonuclease [Endo]
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.
- Synthesis of linear concatemers copies 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.