Fd virus
Length: 880 nm Width : 6.6 nm
Persistence length : ca. 2.8 µm Mol. Weight : 16.4x106 g/mol I.E.P. : pH 4.2
The virus consists of a singlestranded circular DNA molecule coated with a protein layer of 2700 identical protein subunits. These subunits with a molecular mass of 5240 form about 99%
of the total protein mass. The rest of the protein mass belongs to the minor coat protein of 42200 daltons. The virus was originally isolated from sewage1 and can be grown in male strains of Escherichia coli. A review on the phase behavior and with many general references can be found in ref. 2.
References
1) D.A. Marvin and H. HoffmannBerling, Nature 197, 517 (1963).
2) S. Fraden, Phase transitions in colloidal suspensions of virus particles, p. 113164 in
“Obs ervation, prediction and simulation of phase transitions in complex fluids” ( M. Baus, L.F.
Rull and J.P. Ryckaert, Eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 1995, NATOASI – Series C, vol. 460.
