Mind the Gap: How Some Viruses Infect Their Hosts

Cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) and cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) provide structural insights into complex biological processes. The podoviridae are dsDNA containing phage with short, non-contractile tails which nevertheless translocate their DNA into the cytoplasm of their host cells. Liu e...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Peter E. Prevelige
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2010-11-01
Series:Viruses
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/2/11/2536/
Description
Summary:Cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) and cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) provide structural insights into complex biological processes. The podoviridae are dsDNA containing phage with short, non-contractile tails which nevertheless translocate their DNA into the cytoplasm of their host cells. Liu et al. [1] used a combination of cryo-EM and cryo-ET to study the structural changes accompanying infection of P. marinus by the phage P-SSP7 and thereby provide unique molecular insight into the process by which the DNA transits from phage to host during infection.
ISSN:1999-4915