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Viral Structure

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Viruses are extraordinarily diverse in shape and size, but they all have several structural features in common. All viruses have a core that contains a DNA- or RNA-based genome. The core is surrounded by a protective coat of proteins called the capsid. The capsid is composed of subunits called capsomeres. The capsid and genome-containing core are together known as the nucleocapsid.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Published on: July 27, 2021

RSV capsid polymorphism correlates with polymerization efficiency and envelope glycoprotein content: implications

Carmen Butan¹, Dennis C Winkler, J Bernard Heymann

¹Laboratory of Structural Biology, National Institute for Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Journal of Molecular Biology

|January 22, 2008

Summary

Cryo-electron tomography revealed Rous sarcoma virus core structures, showing diverse shapes like coffin-shaped and tubular. Core morphology, influenced by capsid protein assembly, impacts viral infectivity and glycoprotein spike presence.

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Generation, Amplification, and Titration of Recombinant Respiratory Syncytial Viruses

Generation, Amplification, and Titration of Recombinant Respiratory Syncytial Viruses

Published on: April 4, 2019

Area of Science:

Virology
Structural Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) is a prototypic alpharetrovirus.
Viral core formation is crucial for infectivity.
The polyprotein Gag assembles into procapsids during budding and matures into matrix, capsid protein (CA), and nucleocapsid components.

Purpose of the Study:

To visualize the structure of Rous sarcoma virus virions and their cores using cryo-electron tomography.
To investigate the relationship between core morphology, capsid protein assembly, and viral particle characteristics.

Main Methods:

Cryo-electron tomography was employed to image Rous sarcoma virus particles.
Measurements of core surface area and virion diameter were used to estimate capsid protein (CA) and Gag content.
Correlation analysis was performed between core type, CA assembly, and glycoprotein spike number.

Main Results:

RSV virion cores exhibit significant polymorphism, including angular (coffin-shaped), curved, and tubular morphologies.
Core shape correlates with the degree of capsid protein (CA) assembly, with angular cores incorporating ~80% of CA and tubular cores ~30%.
Virion diameter and glycoprotein spike count also correlate with core type, suggesting assembly initiation influences morphology.

Conclusions:

Core morphology in Rous sarcoma virus is highly variable and influenced by the extent of capsid protein (CA) assembly.
The initiation of CA assembly, potentially involving interactions with spike endodomains, is a critical determinant of core structure.
Understanding these structural variations provides insights into alpharetroviral assembly and infectivity.