Products/Services Used | Details | Operation |
---|---|---|
Custom Vector Construction> | EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Protein Production The gene coding for the T4 gp21 mutant protein was chemically synthe- sized (GenScript), and cloned into the pET-28a(+) vector using the NdeI and XhoI restriction sites. | Get A Quote |
Many large viruses, including tailed dsDNA bacteriophages and herpesviruses, assemble their capsids via formation of precursors, called procapsids or proheads. The prohead has an internal core, made of scaffolding proteins, and an outer shell, formed by the major capsid protein. The prohead usually contains a protease, which is activated during capsid maturation to destroy the inner core and liberate space for the genome. Here, we report a 2.0 Å resolution structure of the pentameric procapsid protease of bacteriophage T4, gene product (gp)21. The structure corresponds to the enzyme's pre-active state in which its N-terminal region blocks the catalytic center, demonstrating that the activation mechanism invol... More