Bacteriophage T3 connector: three-dimensional structure and comparison with other viral head-tail connecting regions.

The bacteriophage T3 connector, which consists of 12 copies of protein gp8, has been studied by image processing of electron micrographs from negatively stained ordered aggregates. A three-dimensional reconstruction of T3 connectors was obtained by collection of tilted views and using the direct Fourier method, up to 2.3 nm resolution. The reconstructed unit cell contains two connectors whose main structural features are essentially identical, but facing in opposite directions. The T3 connector has a height of about 10.9 nm, with two clearly defined domains: a wider one 14.4 nm in diameter, with 12 morphological units in the periphery, and a narrower one, 9.7 nm in diameter. There is a channel clearly defined in the narrower domain that almost closes along the wider domain. Comparison of the three-dimensional structure obtained for the connector of phages T3 and phi 29, and that of the neck extracted from phage phi 29 particles, reveals striking similarities and significant differences. A model for a general connector to account for the common functions carried out by these viral assemblies is discussed together with the possible role of the channel for DNA translocation.