Bacteriophage

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T4 Bacteriophage Virus

T4 Bacteriophage model in SolidWorks

Printed model of T4 bacteriophage

Diagram of T4

Micrograph of T4 phage

This is a model of a virus that infects bacterial cells.

Contents 1 Educational Use 1.1 Students interacting with the model 2 Downloads 2.1 Model Specifications 3 Resources 4 Sources & Credits

Educational Use

The T4 bacteriophage infects E. Coli cells and has been studied extensively. It is composed of an icosahedral (20 sided) head that contains its double-stranded DNA genome and a tail with fibers to attach to a host cell and hollow core for injecting DNA (see illustration above).

Movies:

Phage approaching bacteria

Students interacting with the model

Students interact with the bacteriophage model in Ms. Vicky Cody's science class at TST BOCES in Ithaca, NY. Special thanks to Mrs. Ellen Knapp for the pictures.

Downloads

Model without base stand:

• CAD model (SolidWorks)
• eDrawing (eDrawing exported from SolidWorks)
• .STL file (33MB)

Model with base stand:

• CAD model - with base (Solidworks)
• .STL file - with base

Model Specifications

This model was designed in SolidWorks and printed on a Dimension SST printer.

Suggestions: Printing a larger model makes the legs stronger - legs are likely to break off on smaller prints.

Resources

• Wikipedia - T4 phage
• Bacteriophage Ecology Group - A very complete site that focuses on T4
• Article on T4 structural research - Article contains a very detailed and accurate animation of a T4 phage infecting an E. Coli cell

Sources & Credits

Illustration Credit: The figure has been adapted by Petr Leiman (Purdue University) from a drawing by Fred Eiserling (UCLA)

Model created by Mary Knapp in Solidworks