Cryo-EM structures of a Xanthomonas phage: Insights into viral architecture and implications for the model phage HK97.
Guo, M., Wang, A., Zheng, Y., Liu, C., Shao, Q., Deng, Y., Li, L., Wang, Y., Wang, X., Shen, Y., Qian, J., Zhou, X., Fang, Q.(2025) Structure 
- PubMed: 40273907 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2025.03.013
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
9LBM, 9LBN - PubMed Abstract: 
Xanthomonas bacteria are responsible for disease outbreaks in several hundred plant species, causing significant economic losses. Xanthomonas phages have emerged as a promising biocontrol strategy in managing various important plant diseases caused by Xanthomonas bacteria. However, structural information for Xanthomonas phages has remained limited so far. Here, we present high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the Xanthomonas citri phage ¦µXacJX1 from siphoviruses. These structures include atomic models for the head, head-to-tail connector and head-proximal portion of the tail. ¦µXacJX1's head and head-to-tail connector components show significant protein sequence and structural homology with those of the model siphophage HK97. However, the in-situ structures of head-to-tail connector of phage HK97 remain unavailable. The presented structures of phage ¦µXacJX1 enhance our understanding of Xanthomonas phages and the mature virion of phage HK97. They provide a valuable framework for future structural and functional studies on both Xanthomonas phages and phage HK97.
Organizational Affiliation: 
School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, No. 66, Gongchang Road, Guangming District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518107, China.