Bacteriophage Qbeta (''Qubevirus durum''), commonly referred to as Qbeta or Qβ, is a
positive-strand RNA virus
Positive-strand RNA viruses (+ssRNA viruses) are a group of related viruses that have positive-sense, single-stranded genomes made of ribonucleic acid. The positive-sense genome can act as messenger RNA (mRNA) and can be directly translated int ...
which infects
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
that have
F-pili, most commonly ''
Escherichia coli
''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escher ...
''. Its linear genome is packaged into an
icosahedral
In geometry, an icosahedron ( or ) is a polyhedron with 20 faces. The name comes and . The plural can be either "icosahedra" () or "icosahedrons".
There are infinitely many non- similar shapes of icosahedra, some of them being more symmetrica ...
capsid
A capsid is the protein shell of a virus, enclosing its genetic material. It consists of several oligomeric (repeating) structural subunits made of protein called protomers. The observable 3-dimensional morphological subunits, which may or may ...
with a diameter of 28 nm.
Bacteriophage
A bacteriophage (), also known informally as a ''phage'' (), is a duplodnaviria virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν ('), meaning "to devour". Bacteri ...
Qβ enters its host cell after binding to the side of the F-pilus.
Genetics
The genome of Qβ is approximately 4,217
nucleotide
Nucleotides are organic molecules consisting of a nucleoside and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecules wi ...
s, depending on the source which sequenced the virus. Qβ has been isolated all over the world, multiple times, with various subspecies that code for nearly identical proteins but can have very different nucleotide sequences.
The genome has three
open reading frame
In molecular biology, open reading frames (ORFs) are defined as spans of DNA sequence between the start and stop codons. Usually, this is considered within a studied region of a prokaryotic DNA sequence, where only one of the six possible readin ...
s that encode four
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
s: the maturation/
lysis
Lysis ( ) is the breaking down of the membrane of a cell, often by viral, enzymic, or osmotic (that is, "lytic" ) mechanisms that compromise its integrity. A fluid containing the contents of lysed cells is called a ''lysate''. In molecular bio ...
protein A2; the
coat protein; a readthrough of a leaky
stop codon
In molecular biology (specifically protein biosynthesis), a stop codon (or termination codon) is a codon (nucleotide triplet within messenger RNA) that signals the termination of the translation process of the current protein. Most codons in me ...
in the coat protein, called A1; and the β-subunit of an
RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) termed the replicase. The genome is highly structured, regulating
gene expression
Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product that enables it to produce end products, protein or non-coding RNA, and ultimately affect a phenotype, as the final effect. The ...
and protecting itself from host
RNase
Ribonuclease (commonly abbreviated RNase) is a type of nuclease that catalyzes the degradation of RNA into smaller components. Ribonucleases can be divided into endoribonucleases and exoribonucleases, and comprise several sub-classes within t ...
s.
Coat protein A1
There are approximately 178 copies of the coat protein and/or A1 in the capsid.
Replicase/RdRp
The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that replicates both the positive and negative RNA strands is a complex of four proteins: the catalytic beta subunit (replicase, ) is encoded by the phage, while the other three subunits are encoded by the bacterial genome: alpha subunit (ribosomal protein S1), gamma subunit (
EF-Tu
EF-Tu (elongation factor thermo unstable) is a prokaryotic elongation factor responsible for catalyzing the binding of an aminoacyl-tRNA (aa-tRNA) to the ribosome. It is a G-protein, and facilitates the selection and binding of an aa-tRNA to t ...
), and delta subunit (
EF-Ts
EF-Ts (elongation factor thermo stable) is one of the prokaryotic elongation factors. It is found in human mitochrondria as TSFM. It is similar to eukaryotic EF-1B.
EF-Ts serves as the guanine nucleotide exchange factor for EF-Tu (elongatio ...
).
The structure of the Qbeta
RNA replicase
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) or RNA replicase is an enzyme that catalyzes the replication of RNA from an RNA template. Specifically, it catalyzes synthesis of the RNA strand complementary to a given RNA template. This is in contrast to ...
has been solved (). The two EF proteins serve as a
chaperone for both the replicase and the RNA product. In fact, pure Qbeta polymerase is not soluble enough to be produced in large quantities, and a fusion protein constructed from the replicase and the two EF subunits is usually used instead. The fusion can function independently of ribosomal protein S1.
Maturation/lysis protein A2
![1-s2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/1-s2.0-S0022283615006762-gr1-C.jpg)
All positive-strand RNA phages encode a maturation protein, whose function is to bind the host
pilus
A pilus (Latin for 'hair'; plural: ''pili'') is a hair-like appendage found on the surface of many bacteria and archaea. The terms ''pilus'' and '' fimbria'' (Latin for 'fringe'; plural: ''fimbriae'') can be used interchangeably, although some r ...
and the viral RNA. The maturation protein is named thus, as
amber mutants in the maturation protein are unable to infect their host, or are 'immature.' For the related +ssRNA
bacteriophage MS2
Bacteriophage MS2 (''Emesvirus zinderi''), commonly called MS2, is an icosahedral, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that infects the bacterium ''Escherichia coli'' and other members of the Enterobacteriaceae. MS2 is a member of a family ...
, the maturation protein was shown to be taken up by the host along with the viral RNA and the maturation protein was subsequently cleaved.
In
bacteriophage MS2
Bacteriophage MS2 (''Emesvirus zinderi''), commonly called MS2, is an icosahedral, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that infects the bacterium ''Escherichia coli'' and other members of the Enterobacteriaceae. MS2 is a member of a family ...
, the maturation protein is called the A protein, as it belongs to the first open reading frame in the viral RNA. In Qβ the A protein was initially thought to be A1, as it is more abundant within the virion and is also required for infection. However, once the sequence of Qβ was determined, A1 was revealed to be a readthrough of the leaky stop codon.
A2 is the maturation protein for Qβ and has an additional role of being the lysis protein.
The mechanism of lysis is similar to that of
penicillin
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...
; A2 inhibits the formation of
peptidoglycan
Peptidoglycan or murein is a unique large macromolecule, a polysaccharide, consisting of sugars and amino acids that forms a mesh-like peptidoglycan layer outside the plasma membrane, the rigid cell wall (murein sacculus) characteristic of most ...
by binding to MurA, which catalyzes the first enzymatically committed step in cell wall biosynthesis.
Experiments
RNA from Bacteriophage Qβ was used by
Sol Spiegelman
Sol Spiegelman (December 14, 1914 – January 21, 1983) was an American molecular biologist. He developed the technique of nucleic acid hybridization, which helped to lay the groundwork for advances in recombinant DNA technology.
Early life and ...
in experiments that favored faster replication, and thus shorter strands of RNA. He ended up with Spiegelman's Monster, a minimal RNA chain of only 218 nucleotides that can be replicated by Qβ replicase.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4840022
Bacteriophages
Fiersviridae