Structural Biology of Bacteriophages

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 May 2025 | Viewed by 2976

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Phage Technology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Interests: cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM); pathogen–host interactions; single-stranded RNA bacteriophages
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
Interests: structure and function of bacterial nanomachines; cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bacteriophages (phages) are now recognized as promising therapeutic agents against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, emphasizing the importance of their structural biology in elucidating their mechanisms of action. This Special Issue aims to delve into the intricate structures of phages and their interactions with host bacteria, covering various stages of the infection cycle, such as phage capsid assembly, genome packaging/delivery, host receptor binding, antiphage host defense systems, and the host’s lysis. Leveraging modern molecular biology and genomics, which have unveiled the immense diversity of phages, this collection underscores their potential as natural antimicrobials. Recent advances in phage therapy for multidrug-resistant infections highlight the critical need to understand phage structures and their host interactions for developing effective treatments. By assembling cutting-edge research on the structural biology of bacteriophages, this Special Issue illuminates their pivotal role in controlling bacterial populations and their therapeutic potential.

Dr. Junjie Zhang
Dr. Bo Hu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • phage assembly
  • phage host recognition
  • host defense against phages
  • phage genome delivery
  • phage lysis
  • genome packaging
  • host receptors

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2113 KiB  
Communication
Atlas of Interactions Between Decoration Proteins and Major Capsid Proteins of Coliphage N4
by Klem McJarrow-Keller, Alice-Roza Eruera, Alexander J. M. Crowe, Rosheny Kumaran, Jaekyung Hyun and Mihnea Bostina
Viruses 2025, 17(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17010019 - 26 Dec 2024
Viewed by 838
Abstract
Coliphage N4 is a representative species of the Schitoviridae family of bacteriophages. Originally structurally studied in 2008, the capsid structure was solved to 14 Å to reveal an interesting arrangement of Ig-like decoration proteins across the surface of the capsid. Herein, we present [...] Read more.
Coliphage N4 is a representative species of the Schitoviridae family of bacteriophages. Originally structurally studied in 2008, the capsid structure was solved to 14 Å to reveal an interesting arrangement of Ig-like decoration proteins across the surface of the capsid. Herein, we present a high-resolution N4 structure, reporting a 2.45 Å map of the capsid obtained via single particle cryogenic-electron microscopy. Structural analysis of the major capsid proteins (MCPs) and decoration proteins (gp56 and gp17) of phage N4 reveals a pattern of interactions across the capsid that are mediated by structurally homologous domains of gp17. In this study, an analysis of the complex interface contacts allows us to confirm that the gp17 Ig-like decoration proteins of N4 are likely employed by the virus to increase the capsid’s structural integrity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural Biology of Bacteriophages)
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17 pages, 17312 KiB  
Article
The Structure of Spiroplasma Virus 4: Exploring the Capsid Diversity of the Microviridae
by Mario Mietzsch, Shweta Kailasan, Antonette Bennett, Paul Chipman, Bentley Fane, Juha T. Huiskonen, Ian N. Clarke and Robert McKenna
Viruses 2024, 16(7), 1103; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16071103 - 9 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1654
Abstract
Spiroplasma virus 4 (SpV4) is a bacteriophage of the Microviridae, which packages circular ssDNA within non-enveloped T = 1 icosahedral capsids. It infects spiroplasmas, which are known pathogens of honeybees. Here, the structure of the SpV4 virion is determined using cryo-electron microscopy [...] Read more.
Spiroplasma virus 4 (SpV4) is a bacteriophage of the Microviridae, which packages circular ssDNA within non-enveloped T = 1 icosahedral capsids. It infects spiroplasmas, which are known pathogens of honeybees. Here, the structure of the SpV4 virion is determined using cryo-electron microscopy to a resolution of 2.5 Å. A striking feature of the SpV4 capsid is the mushroom-like protrusions at the 3-fold axes, which is common among all members of the subfamily Gokushovirinae. While the function of the protrusion is currently unknown, this feature varies widely in this subfamily and is therefore possibly an adaptation for host recognition. Furthermore, on the interior of the SpV4 capsid, the location of DNA-binding protein VP8 was identified and shown to have low structural conservation to the capsids of other viruses in the family. The structural characterization of SpV4 will aid future studies analyzing the virus–host interaction, to understand disease mechanisms at a molecular level. Furthermore, the structural comparisons in this study, including a low-resolution structure of the chlamydia phage 2, provide an overview of the structural repertoire of the viruses in this family that infect various bacterial hosts, which in turn infect a wide range of animals and plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural Biology of Bacteriophages)
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