Mechanism of the bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor

噬菌体将DNA包装到衣壳中的机制是其复制周期中的关键步骤，但人们对此知之甚少。有几种分子马达的机械作用模型，这些模型负责将DNA转移到病毒头中，这些模型都没有得到实验验证。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。对于噬菌体phi29包装马达的包装马达，这项研究将解决更一般的问题，即成熟如何将化学能转化为机械作用。此外，由于为一种类型的噬菌体开发的模型可能普遍适用于其他相关病毒，这项研究可能会导致开发新的抗病毒药物的靶标。

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.