It had been common scientific knowledge that the baseplate was a complicated but beautiful mechanism, one which changed its conformation from a hexagon to a star shape as it formed the irrevocable bond between virus and bacterium. Analysis of its protein building blocks required the use of both electron microscopy, needed to resolve the shapes and relationships between the proteins, and X-ray crystallography, needed for high-resolution images of the atoms within them. Each of the three researchers contributed some of the technology necessary for the analysis, which eventually revealed the structure of the baseplate.
"There are several steps a virus takes to infect a host cell," Rossmann said. "Scientists have long known what the steps were, but no one had ever examined them on a molecular level before. This research should allow us to analyze the initial events in a viral attack. Such knowledge could be useful for targeting bacterial viruses to kill invading bacteria as an alternative to antibiotic compounds."
While viruses are not generally thought of as prospective friends to mankind, many attack the very bacteria that cause common human illnesses, giving them potential as antibiotics.
"T4 attacks E. coli, which is well known as a threat to human health," Rossmann said. "Many other bacteriophages also have structures similar to T4. If we could modify the proteins in the baseplate's attachment fibers, it might enable T4 to destroy harmful bacteria. This research could be a step in that direction."
Nanotechnology applications also are possible.
"The baseplate of this virus is essentially a complex molecular machine," Rossmann said. "We have now obtained a clear picture of its structure, which has allowed us to suggest how it works. Building nanomachines will
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Contact: Chad Boutin
cboutin@purdue.edu
765-494-2081
Purdue University
18-Aug-2003