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Title: Structural basis of superinfection exclusion by bacteriophage T4 Spackle

Journal Article · · Communications Biology
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
  2. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
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A bacterial cell infected with T4 phage rapidly establishes resistance against further infections by the same or closely related T-even-type bacteriophages – a phenomenon called superinfection exclusion. Here we show that one of the T4 early gene products and a periplasmic protein, Spackle, forms a stoichiometric complex with the lysozyme domain of T4 tail spike protein gp5 and potently inhibits its activity. Crystal structure of the Spackle-gp5 lysozyme complex shows that Spackle binds to a horseshoe-shaped basic patch surrounding the oligosaccharide-binding cleft and induces an allosteric conformational change of the active site. In contrast, Spackle does not appreciably inhibit the lysozyme activity of cytoplasmic T4 endolysin responsible for cell lysis to release progeny phage particles at the final step of the lytic cycle. Our work reveals a unique mode of inhibition for lysozymes, a widespread class of enzymes in biology, and provides a mechanistic understanding of the T4 bacteriophage superinfection exclusion.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division
Contributing Organization:
Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (US)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1729706
Journal Information:
Communications Biology, Journal Name: Communications Biology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 3; ISSN 2399-3642
Publisher:
Springer NatureCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

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