Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 4, 2026

Author Spotlight: Investigating Bacteriophage-Induced Immune Responses in Gnotobiotic Mice
Published on: January 26, 2024
Resonance assignments of bacteriophage T4 Y04L protein
Kaining Zhang1, Zhihao Wang1, Gang Chang2
1BioBank, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Abstract:
Phage study draws more attention recently as the bacterial antibiotic resistances become a major threat for global health. Bacteriophage T4 is one of the most studied the phages and the representative of Tevenvirinae subfamily. Since 1950s, T4 phage has been studied more intensively than any other large lytic phages and its biological studies have provided basis for current phage biology as well as other applications. However, among approximately 300 T4 genes, 130 of them still remain uncharacterized. Coded by y04L gene in pin-nrdC intergenic region, Y04L is an example of such proteins whose biological function and mechanism are yet to be addressed. While Pin blocks bacterial Lon protease and thus inhibits bacterial toxin-antitoxin system, NrdC or Glutaredoxin is a specific reducing agent for the phage-induced ribonucleotide reductase. With two interesting neighbouring genes, this 11.9 kDa protein may be functionally related to Pin or NrdC. Here, using solution-state NMR, our near-complete resonance assignment of Y04L provides a basis for future structure determination and further mechanism study.
Related Concept Videos
DNA Bacteriophages
Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle
Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle
Transduction

