Bacteriophage 7-7-1 Adsorbs to the Complex Flagella of Rhizobium lupini H13-3

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Abstract
Bacteriophage 7-7-1 adsorbs specifically to the complex flagella of its host R. lupini H13-3. Deflagellation of motile cells before the addition of phage leads to a complete inhibition of phage propagation for at least 60 min. Among phage-resistant mutants, many non-motile (mot) and non-flagellated (fla) derivatives of R. lupini H/3-3 were selected. EM observations indicate that bacteriophage 7-7-1 attaches with it short tail fibers to the conspicuous helical filament of R. lupini flagella. This attachment is reversible; irreversible phage adsorption takes place at the flagellar base. Phage 7-7-1 may move along the rotating flagellum towards a final receptor next to the insertion site of the flagellum, where tail contraction and injection of phage nucleic acid occurs.