Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1963 Aug;86(2):266–273. doi: 10.1128/jb.86.2.266-273.1963

FINE STRUCTURE OF THE BACTERIOPHAGE ATTACHMENT PROCESS

E H Cota-Robles 1, M D Coffman 1
PMCID: PMC278418  PMID: 14058951

Abstract

Cota-Robles, E. H. (University of California, Riverside) and M. D. Coffman. Fine structure of the bacteriophage attachment process. J. Bacteriol. 86:266–273. 1963.—Electron microscopic examination of cells of Escherichia coli infected with coliphage T2 suggested that the tail spikes of the virus attach to the cell wall. This is followed by a local disorganization of the cell wall and contraction of the virus tail resulting in the approximation of the virus to the cell. Ejection of the viral contents is followed by a retraction of the attached viral ghost from the infected cell. The bacterial cells reveal a fibrillar nuclear structure which in some cases surrounds material that appears to be of cytoplasmic origin.

Full text

PDF
273

Images in this article

267Image
on p.267
268Image
on p.268
270Image
on p.270
271Image
on p.271

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BARRINGTON L. F., KOZLOFF L. M. Action of bacteriophage on isolated host cell walls. J Biol Chem. 1956 Dec;223(2):615–627. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. CHAPMAN G. B., HILLIER J. Electron microscopy of ultra-thin sections of bacteria I. Cellular division in Bacillus cereus. J Bacteriol. 1953 Sep;66(3):362–373. doi: 10.1128/jb.66.3.362-373.1953. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COTA-ROBLES E. H. ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF PLASMOLYSIS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Bacteriol. 1963 Mar;85:499–503. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.3.499-503.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CUMMINGS D. J., KOZLOFF L. M. Various properties of the head protein of T2 bacteriophage. J Mol Biol. 1962 Jul;5:50–62. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(62)80060-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. FRASER D., JERREL E. A. The amino acid composition of T3 bacteriophage. J Biol Chem. 1953 Nov;205(1):291–295. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. HERSHEY A. D., CHASE M. Independent functions of viral protein and nucleic acid in growth of bacteriophage. J Gen Physiol. 1952 May;36(1):39–56. doi: 10.1085/jgp.36.1.39. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. KELLENBERGER E., RYTER A., SECHAUD J. Electron microscope study of DNA-containing plasms. II. Vegetative and mature phage DNA as compared with normal bacterial nucleoids in different physiological states. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 Nov 25;4(6):671–678. doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.6.671. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. KELLENBERGER E. Vegetative bacteriophage and the maturation of the virus particles. Adv Virus Res. 1961;8:1–61. doi: 10.1016/s0065-3527(08)60682-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. ROBINOW C. F. Morphology of the bacterial nucleus. Br Med Bull. 1962 Jan;18:31–35. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a069931. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. WATSON M. L. Staining of tissue sections for electron microscopy with heavy metals. II. Application of solutions containing lead and barium. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 Nov 25;4(6):727–730. doi: 10.1083/jcb.4.6.727. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES