Mobile genetic components known as phage satellites parasitize bacteriophages and other types of bacteria. They selectively package the satellite genomes of their so-called helper phages into capsids that are smaller than those of the parasite they parasitize and steal structural elements from them. Although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, earlier studies have suggested that phage satellites remodel capsids they take from the parasites. In this study, Seed and colleagues describe a capsid remodelling mechanism for effective phage satellite genome transduction and packaging. The lytic Vibrio cholerae phage ICP1 has satellites called phase-inducible chromosomal island-like elements( PLEs ). The authors discovered TcaP, a PLE-encoded protein, which is required and adequate for the assembly of small capsids during ICP1 infection. TcaP was specifically shown to direct the assembly of coat proteins into small capsids and to inhibit ICP1’s process for assembly.Access the preview of subscription content here by going to your institution.options for access
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