Identification of the Salmonella phage ε 34 tailspike gene

Abstract

To understand the interaction between lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and proteins in molecular detail, a molecular genetic approach has been employed, using phage as a model system. The phage ε 34 is a Salmonella phage whose tailspike protein (TSP) uses the host LPS as its initial host cell receptor. Previous studies indicated that there was a similarity between the well-studied tail protein of Salmonella phage P22 and the ε 34. This study reports the identification of the gene for the ε 34 TSP as well as its initial characterization. In addition, some aspects of the structure of the ε 34 TSP have been deduced.