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Related Concept Videos

DNA Bacteriophages01:26

DNA Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...
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DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
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Two structural features of the DNA molecule provide a basis for the mechanisms of heredity: the four nucleotide bases and its double-stranded nature. The Watson-Crick model of double-helical DNA structure, proposed in 1952, drew heavily upon the X-ray crystallography work of researchers Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in 1962. Franklin was, controversially, excluded from the prize for...
Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle01:20

Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria. Among them, T-even bacteriophages, such as T4, exhibit a well-characterized lytic replication cycle in Escherichia coli (E. coli). This process ensures the rapid proliferation of the virus while ultimately leading to the destruction of the bacterial host.Attachment and DNA InjectionThe infection process begins with the recognition and binding of the T4 phage to the E. coli cell surface. Tail fibers of the phage...
Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

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Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the lytic replication...
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Forces Acting on Chromosomes

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Updated: May 14, 2026

Stretching Short Sequences of DNA with Constant Force Axial Optical Tweezers
08:48

Stretching Short Sequences of DNA with Constant Force Axial Optical Tweezers

Published on: October 13, 2011

Capstan friction model for DNA ejection from bacteriophages.

Sandip Ghosal1

  • 1Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom. s-ghosal@northwestern.edu

Physical Review Letters
|February 2, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bacteriophages inject DNA into cells using rapid ejection driven by internal energy. A new mechanical model explains the observed DNA ejection speed during phage infection.

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Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Stretching Short Sequences of DNA with Constant Force Axial Optical Tweezers
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Published on: October 13, 2011

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Kinetics of Lagging-strand DNA Synthesis In Vitro by the Bacteriophage T7 Replication Proteins
08:14

Kinetics of Lagging-strand DNA Synthesis In Vitro by the Bacteriophage T7 Replication Proteins

Published on: February 25, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria.
  • Phage infection involves injecting DNA into the host cell.
  • Understanding DNA translocation mechanisms is key to phage biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the physical mechanisms of DNA translocation from phage capsids.
  • To explain the observed DNA ejection velocity during phage infection.
  • To develop a mechanical model consistent with phage DNA packaging.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro experiments measuring DNA translocation speed from lambda phage capsids.
  • Analysis of ejection velocity as a function of ejected DNA length.
  • Development of a mechanical model for DNA ejection.

Main Results:

  • DNA ejection speed varies with the amount of DNA ejected.
  • The model accurately predicts the observed velocity-length dependence.
  • The model aligns with current understanding of DNA arrangement in phage capsids.

Conclusions:

  • Elastic and electrostatic forces within the capsid drive rapid DNA ejection.
  • The proposed mechanical model provides a quantitative explanation for phage DNA delivery.
  • This research enhances our understanding of viral infection mechanisms.