Bacteriophage T4 capsid packaging and unpackaging of DNA and proteins.

Bacteriophage T4 has proven itself readily amenable to phage-based DNA and protein packaging, expression, and display systems due to its physical resiliency and genomic flexibility. As a large dsDNA phage with dispensable internal proteins and dispensable outer capsid proteins it can be adapted to package both DNA and proteins of interest within the capsid and to display peptides and proteins externally on the capsid. A single 170 kb linear DNA, or single or multiple copies of shorter linear DNAs, of any sequence can be packaged by the large terminase subunit in vitro into protein-containing proheads and give full or partially full capsids.

Natural genetic variation caused by small insertions and deletions in the human genome.

Human genetic variation is expected to play a central role in personalized medicine. Yet only a fraction of the natural genetic variation that is harbored by humans has been discovered to date. Here we report almost 2 million small insertions and deletions (INDELs) that range from 1 bp to 10,000 bp in length in the genomes of 79 diverse humans.

Small insertions and deletions (INDELs) in human genomes.

In this review, we focus on progress that has been made with detecting small insertions and deletions (INDELs) in human genomes. Over the past decade, several million small INDELs have been discovered in human populations and personal genomes. The amount of genetic variation that is caused by these small INDELs is substantial.

Portal fusion protein constraints on function in DNA packaging of bacteriophage T4.

Architecturally conserved viral portal dodecamers are central to capsid assembly and DNA packaging. To examine bacteriophage T4 portal functions, we constructed, expressed and assembled portal gene 20 fusion proteins. C-terminally fused (gp20-GFP, gp20-HOC) and N-terminally fused (GFP-gp20 and HOC-gp20) portal fusion proteins assembled in vivo into active phage.