Work

Seeing the Portal in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 B Capsids

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Resolving the nonicosahedral components in large icosahedral viruses remains a technical challenge in structural virology. We have used the emerging technique of Zernike phase-contrast electron cryomicroscopy to enhance the image contrast of ice-embedded herpes simplex virus type 1 capsids. Image reconstruction enabled us to retrieve the structure of the unique portal vertex in the context of the icosahedral capsid and, for the first time, show the subunit organization of a portal in a virus infecting eukaryotes. Our map unequivocally resolves the 12-subunit portal situated beneath one of the pentameric vertices, thus removing uncertainty over the location and stoichiometry of the herpesvirus portal.

Source: Journal of Virology

DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01663-10

Authors: R. H. Rochat, X. Liu, K. Murata, K. Nagayama, F. J. Rixon, W. Chiu

Institutions: Baylor College of Medicine, Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, MRC University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Structural Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Research Resources

Awards: G1163595192, G1688340195, G2640905883, G3971485770, G8037367438