This entry includes the tail tube protein of bacteriophage PhiTE that infects the plant pathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum. The tube protein forms the rigid inner tube of the phage tail and consists of a primary eight-stranded beta-sandwich flanked ...
This entry includes the tail tube protein of bacteriophage PhiTE that infects the plant pathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum. The tube protein forms the rigid inner tube of the phage tail and consists of a primary eight-stranded beta-sandwich flanked by a large alpha-helix. The luminal components of each tube protein's beta-sandwich intercalate with adjacent tube proteins in the hexameric disk to form a continuous 24-stranded beta-barrel on the internal surface of each ring. The inner tube lumen has a strong negative charge distribution, typical of bacteriophage DNA conduits. An extended beta-hairpin motif extends between strands 2 and 5 of the beta-sandwich and wraps around the tube, making contacts with loops from head distal tube subunits. The C-terminal arm features a second alpha-helix that wraps laterally around adjacent subunits and forms strong hydrophobic contacts with helices from the sheath D1 domain.