ArticleNature2016
Structure of the T4 baseplate and its function in triggering sheath contraction.
Article in Nature, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 187 papers.
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Who cites it
187 citing papers in PubMed.
- Isolation and Genomic Characterisation of Five Novel Lytic Bacteriophages Infecting the Emerging PathogenViruses · 2026Article
- Intact architectures of myophage phi92 in extended and contracted states.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Conformational changes of the baseplate regulating tail contraction of Staphylococcus phage 812.The EMBO journal · 2026Article
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- Antiphage defence systems Druantia III and Zorya II synergise via shared DNA intermediates in a phage-specific manner.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Stepwise firing mechanism of an extracellular contractile injection system.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Structure of a contractile injection system in Salmonella enterica subsp. salamae.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Structural atlas of the intact jumbo phage phiKZ.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Subcellular reorganization upon phage infection reveals stepwise assembly of viral particles from membrane-associated precursors.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Role of the C-terminal modules of Klebsiella phage KP32 receptor-binding protein gp38 in protein and phage functionality.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- The type VI secretion system and associated effector proteins.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026Review
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- In situ structures of the portal-neck-tail complex of bacteriophage T4 inform a viral genome positioning mechanism.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Genomic and in vitro characterization of two lytic bacteriophages infecting multidrug-resistant Erwinia sp. strain AnSW2-5.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Cryo-EM structures of bacteriophage T4 portal-neck assembly intermediates reveal a viral genome retention mechanism.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Structure of defense against restriction proteins DarA and Hdf in phage P1 reveals a new molecular mechanism during phage assembly, infection and DNA ejection.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Insights into the structure and initial host attachment of the flagellotropic bacteriophage 7-7-1.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Cryo-EM structure of bacteriophage Bas63 reveals structural conservation and diversity in theScience advances · 2025Article
- Structural characterization of an extracellular contractile injection system from Photorhabdus luminescens in extended and contracted states.Nature communications · 2025Article
127 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Several systems, including contractile tail bacteriophages, the type VI secretion system and R-type pyocins, use a multiprotein tubular apparatus to attach to and penetrate host cell membranes. This macromolecular machine resembles a stretched, coiled spring (or sheath) wound around a rigid tube with a spike-shaped protein at its tip. A baseplate structure, which is arguably the most complex part of this assembly, relays the contraction signal to the sheath. Here we present the atomic structure of the approximately 6-megadalton bacteriophage T4 baseplate in its pre- and post-host attachment states and explain the events that lead to sheath contraction in atomic detail. We establish the identity and function of a minimal set of components that is conserved in all contractile injection systems and show that the triggering mechanism is universally conserved.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.