TY - JOUR TI - The mobility of packaged phage genome controls ejection dynamics AU - Evilevitch, Alex A2 - Gelbart, William A2 - Chakraborty, Arup K VL - 7 PY - 2018 DA - 2018/09/04 SP - e37345 C1 - eLife 2018;7:e37345 DO - 10.7554/eLife.37345 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.37345 AB - The cell decision between lytic and lysogenic infection is strongly influenced by dynamics of DNA injection into a cell from a phage population, as phages compete for limited resources and progeny. However, what controls the timing of viral DNA ejection events was not understood. This in vitro study reveals that DNA ejection dynamics for phages can be synchronized (occurring within seconds) or desynchronized (displaying minutes-long delays in initiation) based on mobility of encapsidated DNA, which in turn is regulated by environmental factors, such as temperature and extra-cellular ionic conditions. This mechano-regulation of ejection dynamics is suggested to influence viral replication where the cell’s decision between lytic and latent infection is associated with synchronized or desynchronized delayed ejection events from phage population adsorbed to a cell. Our findings are of significant importance for understanding regulatory mechanisms of latency in phage and Herpesviruses, where encapsidated DNA undergoes a similar mechanical transition. KW - DNA ejection dynamics KW - calorimetry KW - latent and lytic infection KW - phage KW - DNA pressure KW - DNA transition JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -