9mu3

Publication Abstract from PubMed

The Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), including SaPI1, are a type of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that are mobilized at high frequency by "helper" bacteriophages, such as 80alpha, leading to packaging of the SaPI genomes into virions made from helper-encoded structural proteins. 80alpha and SaPI1 virions consist of an icosahedral head connected via a portal vertex to a long, non-contractile tail. A connector or "neck" forms the interface between the tail and the head. Here, we have determined the high-resolution structure of the neck section of SaPI1 virions, including the dodecameric portal and head-tail-connector proteins, and the hexameric head-tail joining, tail terminator and major tail proteins. We also resolved the DNA, the tail completion protein (TCP), and the tape measure protein (TMP) inside the tail, features that have not previously been observed at high resolution. Our study provides insights into the assembly and infection process in this important group of MGEs.

Structure of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage 80alpha neck shows details of the DNA, tail completion protein, and tape measure protein.,Kizziah JL, Mukherjee A, Parker LK, Dokland T Structure. 2025 Mar 24:S0969-2126(25)00104-2. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2025.03.007. PMID:40174589^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.