Structural Study of the Serratia entomophila Antifeeding Prophage: Three-Dimensional Structure of the Helical Sheath

摘要

The sheath of the Serratia entomophila antifeeding prophage, which is pathogenic to the New Zealand grass grub Costelytra zealandica, is a 3-fold helix formed by a 4-fold symmetric repeating motif disposed around a helical inner tube. This structure, determined by electron microscopy and image processing, is distinct from that of the other known morphologically similar bacteriophage sheaths.