Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: ABSTRACT Viral development links gene expression and genome replication to particle formation within a cell. Here we construct virtual viruses in a JCVI-syn3A-based spatial minimal cell. For mycoplasma virus P1, molecular events connect expression and replication to coarse-grained packaging, followed by a spatial reconstruction of membrane opening and particle release. Individual finite-size particles coexist, move across the boundary and undergo partial crossings and returns before complete exit. In contrast, Acholeplasma phage MV-L1 (L1) expresses its genes and accumulates genomes as the host continues to grow and develops a constricted shape. The coexistence of viral activity and continued host growth is qualitatively consistent with the non-lytic biology of group 1 acholeplasmaviruses. These reconstructions extend the virtual cell to the viruses that develop within it, linking molecular activity, particle behavior and host growth.
Authors: Weize Sun, Yong Tang, Mingyue Qiu, Jintao Li, Fei Luo, Ce Dou
Institutions: Army Medical University, Southwest Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Virology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G2318240531, G3802286824
OpenAlex ID: W7214112093