Work

From disorder to icosahedral symmetry: How conformation-switching subunits enable RNA virus assembly

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Icosahedral capsids are ubiquitous among spherical viruses, yet their assembly pathways and governing interactions remain elusive. We present a molecular dynamics model that incorporates essential physical and biological features, including protein diffusion, genome flexibility, and a conformational switch that mimics allostery and activates the elastic properties of proteins upon binding. This switch makes the simulations computationally feasible, overcoming long-standing limitations of previous models. Using this framework, we successfully reproduce the self-assembly of subunits into icosahedral shells with T numbers greater than one—most notably T = 3, the most common structure in nature—a feat rigid-body models have so far failed to achieve. We also examine how genome architecture influences assembly and observe trends consistent with experiments using cowpea chlorotic mottle virus proteins: RNAs with more complex structure yield more complete capsids than do linear ones. These results establish a predictive framework for genome-guided assembly and offer insight into designing synthetic capsids for biomedical applications.

Source: Science Advances

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ady7241

Authors: Siyu Li, Guillaume Tresset, Roya Zandi

Institutions: University of California, Riverside, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, Laboratoire de physique des Solides

Language: English

Topic: Protein Structure and Dynamics

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,500

Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche