Jumbo phage nuclear shell assembles from one protein, chimallin (ChmA): Nature paper

Nature paper (Laughlin et al.) reporting that the nucleus-like shell with which jumbo phages protect their replicating genomes from host defences assembles primarily from one protein, named chimallin (ChmA). Cryo-electron tomography in infected cells and cryo-EM of a minimal compartment show it self-assembles as a flexible sheet into closed micrometre-scale compartments.