Kinetic analysis of bacteriophage Sf6 binding to outer membrane protein a using whole virions.

For successful infection, viruses must recognize their respective host cells. A common mechanism of host recognition by viruses is to utilize a portion of the host cell as a receptor. Bacteriophage Sf6, which infects Shigella flexneri, uses lipopolysaccharide as a primary receptor and then requires interaction with a secondary receptor, a role that can be fulfilled by either outer membrane proteins (Omp) A or C.