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Related Concept Videos

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

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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...
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Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages00:43

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages

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In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
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CRISPR and crRNAs02:53

CRISPR and crRNAs

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Bacteria and archaea are susceptible to viral infections just like eukaryotes; therefore, they have developed a unique adaptive immune system to protect themselves. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) are present in more than 45% of known bacteria and 90% of known archaea.
The CRISPR-Cas system stores a copy of foreign DNA in the host genome and uses it to identify the foreign DNA upon reinfection. CRISPR-Cas has three different...
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Single-Strand DNA Binding Proteins01:03

Single-Strand DNA Binding Proteins

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For successful DNA replication, the unwinding of double-stranded DNA must be accompanied by stabilization and protection of the separated single strands of the DNA. This crucial task is performed by single-strand DNA-binding (SSB) proteins. They bind to the DNA in a sequence-independent manner, which means that the nitrogenous bases of the DNA need not be present in a specific order for binding of SSB proteins to it. The binding of SSB proteins straightens single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and makes...
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Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

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During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R...
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Translesion DNA Polymerases02:10

Translesion DNA Polymerases

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Translesion (TLS) polymerases rescue stalled DNA polymerases at sites of damaged bases by replacing the replicative polymerase and installing a nucleotide across the damaged site. Doing so, TLS allows additional time for the cell to repair the damage before resuming regular DNA replication.
TLS polymerases are found in all three domains of life - archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. Of the different classes of TLS polymerases, members of the Y family are fitted with specialized structures that...
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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda
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Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda

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Mycobacteriophage Alexphander Gene 94 Encodes an Essential dsDNA-Binding Protein during Lytic Infection.

Emmanuel Chong Qui1, Feben Habtehyimer1, Alana Germroth1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|July 13, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Mycobacteriophages are viruses infecting Mycobacterium. Alexphander phage gene 94 encodes an essential DNA-binding protein, gp94, crucial for lytic growth and DNA transactions during infection.

Keywords:
DNA-binding proteinhelix–turn–helix motifmycobacteriophagesuperinfection

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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda
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Following Cell-fate in E. coli After Infection by Phage Lambda

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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect Mycobacterium and Mycolicibacterium species.
  • Over 2400 mycobacteriophages have been sequenced, revealing diverse genomes with many genes of unknown function.
  • Understanding these unknown genes is critical for elucidating mycobacteriophage-host interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of essential genes in the temperate mycobacteriophage Alexphander.
  • To characterize Alexphander gene 94 and its encoded protein, gp94, for its role in the phage life cycle.

Main Methods:

  • Lysogen formation frequency determination.
  • Gene knockout and functional analysis.
  • Protein domain prediction (MerR HTH, DinB/YfiT).
  • Nucleoprotein complex formation assays using DNA fragments and phage genomic DNA.
  • mRNA expression analysis via Northern blotting.

Main Results:

  • Alexphander forms stable lysogens at a frequency of 2.8%.
  • Gene 94 is essential for Alexphander lytic infection.
  • The encoded protein gp94 contains predicted DNA-binding (HTH) and metal-binding motifs.
  • gp94 forms high-order nucleoprotein complexes on various DNA substrates.
  • Gene 94 expression peaks late in the lytic cycle and is co-transcribed with neighboring genes.

Conclusions:

  • gp94 is hypothesized to be an essential DNA-binding protein for Alexphander during lytic growth.
  • gp94 likely facilitates essential DNA transactions by forming multiprotein complexes on the phage chromosome.