Mechanism of the bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor

噬菌体将DNA包裹到其衣壳中的机制是其复制周期的重要步骤，但人们对其机制知之甚少。对于负责将DNA易位到病毒头部的分子马达的机械作用，存在几种模型，但没有一种模型得到实验验证。光学镊子、原子力显微镜和荧光显微镜等技术足够灵敏，可以在单分子水平上探测分子机器。噬菌体phi29包装电机的包装电机，本研究将解决更普遍的问题，如何成熟的将化学能转化为机械作用。此外，由于针对一种噬菌体建立的模型可能普遍适用于其他相关病毒，因此这项研究可能会为开发新的抗病毒药物提供靶点。

The mechanism by which a bacteriophage packages DNA into its capsid, an essential step in its replicative cycle, is poorly understood. Several models exist for the mechanical action of the molecular motor responsible for the translocation of the DNA into the viral head, none of which have been verified experimentally. Techniques such as optical tweezers, atomic force microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy are sensitive enough to probe molecular machines at the single-molecule level. The packaging motor of the bacteriophage phi29 packaging motor, this study will address the more general question of how mature converts chemical energy into mechanical action. Moreover, since the models developed for one type of phage are likely to be universally applicable to other related viruses, this investigation may lead to targets against which to develop new anti-viral drugs.