Phosphatase Activity of Phages and Some Properties of the Contractile Phage Protein

Abstract

An important function of the contractile proteins is their ability to transform chemical energy directly into mechanical work. This phenomenon has been called the mechanicochemical effect. Many structures in the living organism possess mechanicochemical activity. This is seen in its most perfect form in the muscles of higher animals. Mechanicochemical activity has also been found on many occasions in the structures of much simpler organisms, such as plants with motor responses, cilia of Paramoecium, flagella of bacteria, and even in cell organelles, such as mitochondria [29]. The most remarkable discovery has been that of contractile properties in the smallest of all biological structures — bacteriophages. As mentioned above, these properties are exhibited by the tail sheath of certain phages.