+Search query
-Structure paper
Title | The first structure of a mycobacteriophage, the Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. bolletii phage Araucaria. |
---|---|
Journal, issue, pages | J Virol, Vol. 87, Issue 14, Page 8099-8109, Year 2013 |
Publish date | May 15, 2013 |
Authors | Mohamed Sassi / Cecilia Bebeacua / Michel Drancourt / Christian Cambillau / |
PubMed Abstract | The unique characteristics of the waxy mycobacterial cell wall raise questions about specific structural features of their bacteriophages. No structure of any mycobacteriophage is available, although ...The unique characteristics of the waxy mycobacterial cell wall raise questions about specific structural features of their bacteriophages. No structure of any mycobacteriophage is available, although ∼3,500 have been described to date. To fill this gap, we embarked in a genomic and structural study of a bacteriophage from Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. bolletii, a member of the Mycobacterium abscessus group. This opportunistic pathogen is responsible for respiratory tract infections in patients with lung disorders, particularly cystic fibrosis. M. abscessus subsp. bolletii was isolated from respiratory tract specimens, and bacteriophages were observed in the cultures. We report here the genome annotation and characterization of the M. abscessus subsp. bolletii prophage Araucaria, as well as the first single-particle electron microscopy reconstruction of the whole virion. Araucaria belongs to Siphoviridae and possesses a 64-kb genome containing 89 open reading frames (ORFs), among which 27 could be annotated with certainty. Although its capsid and connector share close similarity with those of several phages from Gram-negative (Gram(-)) or Gram(+) bacteria, its most distinctive characteristic is the helical tail decorated by radial spikes, possibly host adhesion devices, according to which the phage name was chosen. Its host adsorption device, at the tail tip, assembles features observed in phages binding to protein receptors, such as phage SPP1. All together, these results suggest that Araucaria may infect its mycobacterial host using a mechanism involving adhesion to cell wall saccharides and protein, a feature that remains to be further explored. |
External links | J Virol / PubMed:23678183 / PubMed Central |
Methods | EM (single particle) |
Resolution | 24.0 - 30.0 Å |
Structure data | EMDB-2335: EMDB-2336: EMDB-2337: EMDB-2338: |