Bacteriophage T5 and Related Phages

Bacteriophages T5 and BF23 have been the two most extensively investigated of the T5 group, which also includes bacteriophages PB, BG3, and 29 alpha. Unusual features of T5, BF23, and PB include the existence of interrupted phosphodiester bonds (“nicks”) at specific locations in only one of the strands of their duplex DNA, a two-step mechanism for transfer of their DNA into host cells, and large terminal repetitions in their DNA.