Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2025

Structure of HIV-1 Capsid Assemblies by Cryo-electron Microscopy and Iterative Helical Real-space Reconstruction
Published on: August 9, 2011
Cryo-EM Reveals Structural Diversity in Prolate-headed Mycobacteriophage Mycofy1
Xiangyun Li1, Qianqian Shao1, Lin Li1
1School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 66, Gongchang Road, Guangming District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518107, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafety, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 66, Gongchang Road, Guangming District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518107, China.
Abstract:
Mycobacteriophages show promise in treating antibiotic-resistant mycobacterial infections. Here, we isolated Mycofy1, a mycobacteriophage, using M. smegmatis as a host. Cryo-EM analysis revealed that Mycofy1 possesses a prolate head and a long non-contractile tail. We determined structures of its head, head-to-tail interface, terminator, and tail tube to resolutions of ∼3.5 Å. Unexpectedly, we identified two distinct types of prolate head structures, exhibiting a 36° relative rotation in the top cap region. Additionally, the head-to-tail interface demonstrated flexibility. Our structures provide high-resolution cryo-EM data of a mycobacteriophage with a prolate head, as well as detailed structural information of the head-to-tail interface and head-proximal tail region in this phage group. These findings advance our understanding of assembly mechanisms in tailed bacteriophages.
More Related Videos
09:25Do's and Don'ts of Cryo-electron Microscopy: A Primer on Sample Preparation and High Quality Data Collection for Macromolecular 3D Reconstruction
Published on: January 9, 2015
08:29Averaging of Viral Envelope Glycoprotein Spikes from Electron Cryotomography Reconstructions using Jsubtomo
Published on: October 21, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Cryo-electron Microscopy
Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Viral Structure
Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria