Yi-Shan Xiao - Bacteriophage
País: Taiwan
Web: https://yishanxiaooo.github.io/illustration
Redes sociales: https://www.instagram.com/yishanxiaooo
Título de la obra: Bacteriophage
Especie o elemento: Bacteriophage E217
Categoría: Ilustración naturalista
Técnicas utilizadas: Colour pencil
Inteligencia artificial: No.
Tamaño: A4(29.7*21cm)
Año de creación: 2025
Descripción: Friends or foes? Viruses offer no definite answer. Suspended in symmetry, the bacteriophage awaits. Its elegant dome shelters the viral genome, adorned with intricate protein filigree. Beneath, a slender neck bridges the geometric head to the elongated tail, structured for invading bacteria, yet promising as a cure for bacterial diseases.
In the pre-ejection state, the tail sheath spirals downward, poised. At its base lies a mosaic baseplate, protein petals awaiting their cue to bloom. Triggered suddenly, the sheath contracts dramatically in a mechanical ballet, shortening and exposing a syringe-like tail penetrating the bacterial cell. Simultaneously, the baseplate reshapes, and previously drifting tail fibres align purposefully downward. They grip the bacterial host firmly, fulfilling their role in the choreography of viral replication.
(A) pre-ejection conformation
(a) top view of pre-ejection sheath gateway
(B) post-ejection conformation
(b) top view of post ejection sheath gateway
(C) conformational change of sheath protein during ejection
