Snippets (biology)

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Bacteriophage iron spike

[R]esearchers modified the phage's spike genes so that they only produced the portion of the protein tip that was resistant to being viewed. When they crystallized this smaller protein fragment, the x-rays were finally able to resolve its structure, and from this the team had the very first picture of the tip of the spike: a single iron atom held in place by six amino acids, forming a sharp needlelike tip—perfectly suited for piercing the outer membranes of bacteria. The team reports its findings this month in Structure.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2012/02/bacteria-killing-viruses-wield-iron-spike