T1 Bacteriophages ("Phages")
attack bacteria: the
commonly shortened to just "phage". As seen in the electron micrograph, the
round "head" contains DNA surrounded by
a protein coat. Phages
attach to the outer membrane of
of the thin "tail", and inject DNA into the
bacteria. The phage multiply using the bacteria's gene system,
which eventually kills the bacteria and releases more phage.
This has been likened to a tank that enters an auto factory
through the loading dock and resets the machinery to make more
tanks, which eventually crash through the walls of the
Early biochemical and genetic studies of phage are the foundations of modern molecular biology.