by Elio
Photo by José M. Sogo. Source.
In her autobiography in the 2007 Annual Review of Microbiology, Margarita Salas published an electron micrograph of rare beauty. It shows the DNA of phage ø29 casually coiled around itself, with protein TP (for Terminal Protein) at the two ends. Not only is this a fine demonstration of a specific DNA-protein interaction, but the surprisingly symmetrical spiral of the DNA invites speculation about how it coiled itself so elegantly. Any ideas?
