Kinetic factors and form determination of the head of bacteriophage T4

Abstract

The form of the bacteriophage T4 prehead is described by its icosahedral symmetry, its diameter, and its length. We show how each of these parameters is regulated during prehead formation and ascribe specific form-determining functions to the prehead proteins. The major protein of the head shell can assemble in several different forms. The structure produced in vivo depends on the rate of synthesis of the major protein relative to the rates of synthesis of minor shell proteins and the major core protein. From our observations, we propose a model for form determination of the prehead and suggest a pathway for the evolution of its prolate shape.