Part:BBa_K4268000

S-TIP37 Head-Tail Connector

Usage and Biology

S-TIP37 is a T7-like cyanophage that infects its host via a lytic life cycle [citation]. T7-like phages are characterized by a complex symmetrical capsid structure, which includes an icosahedral head that houses the phage's genome, and an internal core region that stabilizes the packaged DNA inside the head. A neck region that facilitates DNA delivery into a host, and six tail fibers used for attachment to its host.

Figure 1: A labeled visual detailing the various structures of a T7-like phage

This part belongs to a collection that codes for a "ghost" phage. This ghost phage is a capsid-only, empty viral shell that could be modified to immobilize Cyanobacteria recognized by the viral tail fibers, or used with modification to deliver substances to a chassis Cyanobacteria.

However, it will infect Synechococcus sp WH 8109, the cyanobacteria strain that is the natural host of S-TIP37. Further modeling will be needed to determine if the "ghost" phage could effectively target other strains of Cyanobacteria that are used in synthetic biology, such as Synechococcus sp PCC 11901.

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The Head-Tail Connector gene (gp25) has been provisionally identified as coding for the neck region of a T7-like phage S-TIP37. The neck region in other T7 viruses serves two main purposes, binding the icosahedral capsid to the tail-like fibers and containing the molecular machinery that is responsible for injecting its contents into the target cyanobacteria.

Sequence and Features

Assembly Compatibility:

• 10
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]
• 12
  INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]

  Illegal NheI site found at 346
  
• 21
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]
• 23
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]
• 25
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]
• 1000
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]