Lateral Tail Fiber: Synonymous with long tail fiber, a long, thin, proteinaceous s=t" class="bap-term" target=_blank>appendage to phage tails that is found in multiple copies and is involved in the first, typically reversible steps of phage attachment to bacteria.
Discussion
<
p>From From
Gill and Young (2011), p. 402, "Most Caudovirales
genes+encode"
class="bap-term">encode LTFs, which are generally long and flexible and bind to a
specific Phage receptor">receptor on the surface of the host
cell. LTFs are usually attached to the top of the conical
tail tip assembly of siphophages and to the base-plate of myophages, and in some podophages, to the top of the 'stubby' tail. LTFs are assembled by trimerization of protomers, generally catalysed by a specific tail fibre-
virus+assembly" class="bap-term">assembly chaperone which, in some cases,
remains associated with the
mature tail fibre. In some
phages, the entire LTF is composed of a single tail fibre
protein, with the
wikipedia.org/wiki/N-terminus" target="_blank" class="bap-term">N-terminal
domains involved in binding to the
virion and the
receptor-binding
domain located at the
s=t" class="bap-term" target=_blank>
distal (
C-terminus). In more
complex phages, like T4, the LTFs are composed of multiple
proteins. LTFs have at least one '
knee', where the LTF is bent. It is thought that
individual LTFs bind and
release rapidly, allowing the virion to '
walk' around the surface of the
cell, until
irreversible adsorption occurs."
External links
References
How to cite this page