Bacteriophage T5 structure reveals similarities with HK97 and T4 suggesting evolutionary relationships

J Mol Biol. 2006 Sep 1;361(5):993-1002. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.06.081. Epub 2006 Jul 31.

Abstract

Evolutionary relationships between viruses may be obscure by protein sequence but unmasked by structure. Analysis of bacteriophage T5 by cryo-electron microscopy and protein sequence analysis reveals analogies with HK97 and T4 that suggest a mosaic of such connections. The T5 capsid is consistent with the HK97 capsid protein fold but has a different geometry, incorporating three additional hexamers on each icosahedral facet. Similarly to HK97, the T5 major capsid protein has an N-terminal extension, or Delta-domain that is missing in the mature capsid, and by analogy with HK97, may function as an assembly or scaffold domain. This Delta-domain is predicted to be largely coiled-coil, as for that of HK97, but is approximately 70% longer correlating with the larger capsid. Thus, capsid architecture appears likely to be specified by the Delta-domain. Unlike HK97, the T5 capsid binds a decoration protein in the center of each hexamer similarly to the "hoc" protein of phage T4, suggesting a common role for these molecules. The tail-tube has unusual trimeric symmetry that may aid in the unique two-stage DNA-ejection process, and joins the tail-tip at a disk where tail fibers attach. This intriguing mix of characteristics embodied by phage T5 offers insights into virus assembly, subunit function, and the evolutionary connections between related viruses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacteriophage T4 / chemistry*
  • Bacteriophage T4 / ultrastructure*
  • Capsid / chemistry
  • Capsid Proteins / chemistry*
  • Cryoelectron Microscopy
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Siphoviridae / chemistry*
  • Siphoviridae / ultrastructure*

Substances

  • Capsid Proteins