Below 15°C, chloroform causes fd phage to contract to I‐forms, which are compact structures about 1/3 as long as the original phage. Above 15°C, chloroform causes I‐forms to contract to even more compact spheroidal S‐forms. Here we show that the coat protein structure in I‐forms is the same as the protein structure in the phage and the protein structure in S‐forms is the same as the protein structure in bilayers. The conversions from fda˚I‐forms→S‐forms are therefore suggested to mimic steps in fd penetration. The same conversions, in reverse order, are suggested to mimic steps in fd assembly.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.