In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Meaning of Bacteriophages 2. Ultrastructure of Bacteriophages 3. Life Cycle. Meaning of Bacteriophages (Bacterial Viruses): The viruses which attack, reproduce and lyse bacteria are called bacteriophages. The term bacteriophage literally means, "eater of bacteria". The bacteriophages do not eat bacteria but infect and kill them. Twort discovered in 1915 and Herelle studied [...]
In this article we will discuss about the structure of phage M13. M13 (or f1) phage is a filamentous phage that shows entirely alpha-helical in structure so that the molecule forms a short rod. The helical capsid is simplest measuring about 900 nm long and 9 nm in diameter. M13 is encapsulated in about 2700 copies of the major coat [...]
In this article we will discuss about the life cycle of phage M13. M13 uses the F pilus of E. coli to infect the cell. Protein pill located on the tip of M13 contacts the TolA protein located on the pilus of host cell. This interaction causes a conformational change in pVIlI from 100% alpha-helix to 85% alpha-helix resulting in [...]