Characterization of the Proteins Associated with Caulobacter crescentus Bacteriophage CbK Particles

Bacteriophage genomes contain an abundance of genes that code for hypothetical proteins with either a conserved domain or no predicted function. The Caulobacter phage CbK has an unusual shape, designated morphotype B3 that consists of an elongated cylindrical head and a long flexible tail. To identify CbK proteins associated with the phage particle, intact phage particles were subjected to SDS-PAGE, and the resulting protein bands were digested with trypsin and analyzed using MALDI mass spectroscopy to provide peptide molecular weights. These peptide molecular weights were then compared with the peptides that would be generated from the predicted amino acid sequences that are coded by the CbK genome, and the comparison of the actual and predicted peptide masses resulted in the identification of single genes that could code for the set of peptides derived from each of the 20 phage proteins. We also found that CsCl density gradient centrifugation resulted in the separation of empty phage heads, phage heads containing material organized in a spiral, isolated phage tails, and other particulate material from the intact phage particles. This additional material proved to be a good source of additional phage proteins, and preliminary results suggest that it may include a CbK DNA replication complex.