The T4 virus is a bacteriophage that uses Escherichia coli bacteria as its host. Like all viruses, T4 cannot survive on its own. They invade host cells, multiply with the help of the bacteria's copying tools, and search for the next host cells in large numbers. Scientists estimate that bacteriophages are the most numerous creatures on Earth: as many as 10 quintillion, a one with 31 zeros.
The T4 virus is a bacteriophage that uses Escherichia coli bacteria as its host. Like all viruses, T4 cannot survive on its own. They invade host cells, multiply with the help of the bacteria's copying tools, and search for the next host cells in large numbers. Scientists estimate that bacteriophages are the most numerous creatures on Earth: as many as 10 quintillion, a one with 31 zeros.
Invade with a key
With its dimensions of 200 by 90 nanometers, T4 is a fairly large bacteriophage . The phage consists of a head, a protein capsule containing the genetic material, and a tail with leg-like fibers. With the underside of the tail and the "legs", the phage lands on the outside of the bacterial cell. The phage has such a specific shape that it can only land and attach on bacteria of the species E. coli. The lock-and-key principle. Once attached, the phage injects its genetic material and hijacks the host cell.