Biomaterial Database

Function of pili in bacteriophage phi 6 penetration. 1985

M Romantschuk, and D H Bamford

The genome of bacteriophage phi 6, which has a lipid protein envelope, consists of three pieces of dsRNA. Virus infection is initiated by attachment to a phi 6-specific host pilus followed by fusion of the phage membrane and the bacterial outer membrane. In this study we analysed several different phi 6 hosts as well as more than 200 independently isolated phi 6-resistant variants derived from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola. It is shown that phi 6-specific pili are coded by genes located in the host chromosome. It appears that pilus reaction is needed to pull the pilus-associated virus through the extracellular polysaccharide of the host and thus to bring it into contact with the outer membrane where membrane fusion can take place.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010861	Fimbriae, Bacterial	Thin, hairlike appendages, 1 to 20 microns in length and often occurring in large numbers, present on the cells of gram-negative bacteria, particularly Enterobacteriaceae and Neisseria. Unlike flagella, they do not possess motility, but being protein (pilin) in nature, they possess antigenic and hemagglutinating properties. They are of medical importance because some fimbriae mediate the attachment of bacteria to cells via adhesins (ADHESINS, BACTERIAL). Bacterial fimbriae refer to common pili, to be distinguished from the preferred use of "pili", which is confined to sex pili (PILI, SEX).	Bacterial Fimbriae,Bacterial Pili,Common Fimbriae,Common Pili,Pili, Bacterial,Pili, Common,Bacterial Fimbria,Bacterial Pilus,Common Fimbria,Common Pilus,Fimbria, Bacterial,Pilus, Bacterial,Fimbria, Common,Fimbriae, Common,Pilus, Common
D010957	Plasmids	Extrachromosomal, usually CIRCULAR DNA molecules that are self-replicating and transferable from one organism to another. They are found in a variety of bacterial, archaeal, fungal, algal, and plant species. They are used in GENETIC ENGINEERING as CLONING VECTORS.	Episomes,Episome,Plasmid
D011549	Pseudomonas	A genus of gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacteria widely distributed in nature. Some species are pathogenic for humans, animals, and plants.	Chryseomonas,Pseudomona,Flavimonas
D011991	Receptors, Virus	Specific molecular components of the cell capable of recognizing and interacting with a virus, and which, after binding it, are capable of generating some signal that initiates the chain of events leading to the biological response.	Viral Entry Receptor,Viral Entry Receptors,Virus Attachment Factor,Virus Attachment Factors,Virus Attachment Receptor,Virus Attachment Receptors,Virus Entry Receptor,Virus Entry Receptors,Virus Receptor,Virus Receptors,Attachment Factor, Virus,Attachment Factors, Virus,Attachment Receptor, Virus,Attachment Receptors, Virus,Entry Receptor, Viral,Entry Receptor, Virus,Entry Receptors, Viral,Entry Receptors, Virus,Receptor, Viral Entry,Receptor, Virus,Receptor, Virus Attachment,Receptor, Virus Entry,Receptors, Viral Entry,Receptors, Virus Attachment,Receptors, Virus Entry
D002462	Cell Membrane	The lipid- and protein-containing, selectively permeable membrane that surrounds the cytoplasm in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.	Plasma Membrane,Cytoplasmic Membrane,Cell Membranes,Cytoplasmic Membranes,Membrane, Cell,Membrane, Cytoplasmic,Membrane, Plasma,Membranes, Cell,Membranes, Cytoplasmic,Membranes, Plasma,Plasma Membranes
D005798	Genes, Bacterial	The functional hereditary units of BACTERIA.	Bacterial Gene,Bacterial Genes,Gene, Bacterial
D000327	Adsorption	The adhesion of gases, liquids, or dissolved solids onto a surface. It includes adsorptive phenomena of bacteria and viruses onto surfaces as well. ABSORPTION into the substance may follow but not necessarily.	Adsorptions
D001425	Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins	Proteins isolated from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.	OMP Proteins,Outer Membrane Proteins, Bacterial,Outer Membrane Lipoproteins, Bacterial
D001435	Bacteriophages	Viruses whose hosts are bacterial cells.	Phages,Bacteriophage,Phage