Science· 2019Q1
Architecture of African swine fever virus and implications for viral assembly
- 471citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2019year
Short summary
Researchers have determined the atomic structure of the African swine fever virus (ASFV) capsid, revealing a complex assembly of 17,280 proteins organized into specific symmetrical units.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- ASFV capsid structure resolved to 4.1 angstroms, revealing 17,280 proteins.
- Capsid is built from pentasymmetrons and trisymmetrons using major (p72) and minor proteins.
- Minor proteins, like M1249L, act as core organizers, stabilizing the capsid framework.
- Structural details provide insights into capsid stability and assembly mechanisms.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a giant and complex DNA virus that causes a highly contagious and often lethal swine disease for which no vaccine is available. Using an optimized image reconstruction strategy, we solved the ASFV capsid structure up to 4.1 angstroms, which is built from 17,280 proteins, including one major (p72) and four minor (M1249L, p17, p49, and H240R) capsid proteins organized into pentasymmetrons and trisymmetrons. The atomic structure of the p72 protein informs putative conformational epitopes, distinguishing ASFV from other nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses. The minor capsid proteins form a complicated network below the outer capsid shell, stabilizing the capsid by holding adjacent capsomers together. Acting as core organizers, 100-nanometer-long M1249L proteins run along each edge of the trisymmetrons that bridge two neighboring pentasymmetrons and form extensive intermolecular networks with other capsid proteins, driving the formation of the capsid framework. These structural details unveil the basis of capsid stability and assembly, opening up new avenues for African swine fever vaccine development.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2019 · DOI ↗
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Field: Agronomy and Crop Science
Agronomy and Crop ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences