Structures of T7 bacteriophage portal and tail suggest a viral DNA retention and ejection mechanism

Ana Cuervo, Montserrat Fàbrega-Ferrer, Cristina Machón, José Javier Conesa, Francisco J. Fernández, Rosa Pérez-Luque, Mar Pérez-Ruiz, Joan Pous, M. Cristina Vega, José L. Carrascosa () and Miquel Coll ()
Additional contact information
Ana Cuervo: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, (CNB-CSIC)
Montserrat Fàbrega-Ferrer: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
Cristina Machón: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
José Javier Conesa: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, (CNB-CSIC)
Francisco J. Fernández: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC)
Rosa Pérez-Luque: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
Mar Pérez-Ruiz: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, (CNB-CSIC)
Joan Pous: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
M. Cristina Vega: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC)
José L. Carrascosa: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, (CNB-CSIC)
Miquel Coll: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Double-stranded DNA bacteriophages package their genome at high pressure inside a procapsid through the portal, an oligomeric ring protein located at a unique capsid vertex. Once the DNA has been packaged, the tail components assemble on the portal to render the mature infective virion. The tail tightly seals the ejection conduit until infection, when its interaction with the host membrane triggers the opening of the channel and the viral genome is delivered to the host cell. Using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, here we describe various structures of the T7 bacteriophage portal and fiber-less tail complex, which suggest a possible mechanism for DNA retention and ejection: a portal closed conformation temporarily retains the genome before the tail is assembled, whereas an open portal is found in the tail. Moreover, a fold including a seven-bladed β-propeller domain is described for the nozzle tail protein.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11705-9

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