An aqueous channel for filamentous phage export

Denise K. Marciano, Marjorie Russel, Sanford M. Simon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

83 Scopus citations

Abstract

Filamentous phage f1 exits its Escherichia coli host without killing the bacterial cell. It has been proposed that f1 is secreted through the outer membrane via a phage-encoded channel protein, pIV. A functional pIV mutant was isolated that allowed E. coli to grow on large maltodextrins and rendered E. coli sensitive to large hydrophilic antibiotics that normally do not penetrate the outer membrane. In planar lipid bilayers, both mutant and wild- type pIV formed highly conductive channels with similar permeability characteristics but different gating properties: the probability of the wild- type channel being open was much less than that of the mutant channel. The high conductivity of pIV channels suggests a large-diameter pore, thus implicating pIV as the outer membrane phage-conducting channel.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1516-1519
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume284
Issue number5419
DOIs
StatePublished - May 28 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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