Biomaterial Database

Determination of bacteriophage lambda tail length by a protein ruler. 1987

I Katsura

How the size and shape of living structures are determined by genetic information is one of the fundamental problems in biology. Here I describe a study in which the size of a biological supramolecular structure was changed in a predictable way by in vitro genetics, with the size both before and after manipulation being exactly determined. I have studied the tail of bacteriophage lambda, whose length is determined by the length of the 'ruler protein', the product of gene H. The length of the tail can be decreased or increased by deleting the middle part of gene H or by forming a small duplication there, and the length of the tail is proportional to the size of the protein. These results can be regarded as a special case of protein engineering, namely supramolecular protein engineering.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009154	Mutation	Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations.	Mutations
D010582	Bacteriophage lambda	A temperate inducible phage and type species of the genus lambda-like viruses, in the family SIPHOVIRIDAE. Its natural host is E. coli K12. Its VIRION contains linear double-stranded DNA with single-stranded 12-base 5' sticky ends. The DNA circularizes on infection.	Coliphage lambda,Enterobacteria phage lambda,Phage lambda,lambda Phage
D002872	Chromosome Deletion	Actual loss of portion of a chromosome.	Monosomy, Partial,Partial Monosomy,Deletion, Chromosome,Deletions, Chromosome,Monosomies, Partial,Partial Monosomies
D005814	Genes, Viral	The functional hereditary units of VIRUSES.	Viral Genes,Gene, Viral,Viral Gene
D001699	Biometry	The use of statistical and mathematical methods to analyze biological observations and phenomena.	Biometric Analysis,Biometrics,Analyses, Biometric,Analysis, Biometric,Biometric Analyses
D014764	Viral Proteins	Proteins found in any species of virus.	Gene Products, Viral,Viral Gene Products,Viral Gene Proteins,Viral Protein,Protein, Viral,Proteins, Viral
D017376	Viral Tail Proteins	Proteins found in the tail sections of DNA and RNA viruses. It is believed that these proteins play a role in directing chain folding and assembly of polypeptide chains.	Virus Tail Proteins,Proteins, Viral Tail,Proteins, Virus Tail,Tail Proteins, Viral,Tail Proteins, Virus