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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Protocols for Investigating the Host-tissue Distribution, Transmission-mode, and Effect on the Host Fitness of a Densovirus in the Cotton Bollworm

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Mind the gap: how some viruses infect their hosts.

Peter E Prevelige¹

¹Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA; E-Mail: prevelig@uab.edu ; Tel.: +1-205-975-5327;

|October 14, 2011

Summary

Cryo-electron microscopy revealed how podoviridae phages inject DNA into host cells. This study details the structural changes during P-SSP7 phage infection of P. marinus, offering molecular insights into DNA translocation.

Keywords:

Cyanophage P-SSP7 phage DNA injection cryo-electron microscopy cryo-electron tomography

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Area of Science:

Structural biology
Microbiology
Virology

Background:

Cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) and cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) are powerful techniques for visualizing biological structures at high resolution.
Podoviridae are a family of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophages characterized by short, non-contractile tails.
These phages possess the ability to translocate their genetic material into the cytoplasm of their bacterial hosts.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the structural dynamics of podoviridae phage infection using advanced cryo-EM techniques.
To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying DNA translocation from the phage P-SSP7 into its host, Pseudomonas marinus.
To provide novel structural insights into a critical step of viral infection.

Main Methods:

Application of cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) for high-resolution imaging of phage particles.
Utilization of cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) to capture three-dimensional structural changes during the infection process.
Infection of Pseudomonas marinus with the podoviridae phage P-SSP7 as a model system.

Main Results:

Detailed structural analysis of the P-SSP7 phage before, during, and after DNA injection.
Identification of specific structural rearrangements in the phage tail and capsid associated with DNA translocation.
Visualization of the interface between the phage and the host cell membrane during infection.

Conclusions:

The study provides unprecedented molecular detail on the DNA injection mechanism of podoviridae phages.
Cryo-EM and Cryo-ET are essential tools for dissecting complex viral infection processes.
Understanding phage-host interactions at a structural level can inform future antiviral strategies.