Bacteriophage T5

Bacteriophage T5 is a caudal virus within the family Siphoviridae. This bacteriophage specifically infects E. coli bacterial cells and follows a lytic life cycle. The T5 structure includes a 90 nanometer icosahedral capsid and a 250 nanometer-long flexible, non-contractile tail. The capsid contains the phage's 121750 base pair, double-stranded DNA genome. Bacteriophage T5 has been shown to infect E. coli after its receptor binding protein, pb5, binds to the host cell's outer membrane ferrichrome transporter, FhuA. The binding triggers structural changes in pb5 and eventually leads to DNA release from the phage capsid.