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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 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

Virus particle maturation: insights into elegantly programmed nanomachines.

John E Johnson¹

¹Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. jackj@scripps.edu

Current Opinion in Structural Biology

|February 13, 2010

Summary

Virus maturation mechanisms in bacteriophages and herpesviruses share similarities. Biophysical studies reveal distorted structures in early bacteriophage HK97 maturation intermediates, maintained by protein interactions, leading to a metastable state.

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Simple and Robust in vivo and in vitro Approach for Studying Virus Assembly

Simple and Robust in vivo and in vitro Approach for Studying Virus Assembly

Published on: March 1, 2012

Area of Science:

Structural biology
Virology
Biophysics

Background:

Virus maturation is crucial for viral replication and infectivity.
Similar maturation processes are observed across diverse viruses, including dsDNA bacteriophages, herpesviruses, and animal viruses.
Previous biophysical studies on bacteriophages P22, lambda, and HK97 suggested energy landscapes driving maturation transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the structural mechanisms of bacteriophage HK97 maturation.
To understand the role of scaffolding proteins in forming maturation intermediates.
To elucidate the factors contributing to the metastability of maturation intermediates.

Main Methods:

Near-atomic resolution modeling of subunit tertiary structures.
Analysis of structural distortions in early maturation intermediates compared to mature particles.
Investigation of quaternary structure interactions and the role of scaffolding proteins.

Main Results:

Early bacteriophage HK97 maturation intermediates exhibit significant distortion in secondary structures compared to the mature virion.
Scaffolding proteins appear to induce these structural distortions.
Quaternary structure interactions maintain the distorted conformation after scaffold release, resulting in a metastable intermediate.

Conclusions:

Bacteriophage maturation involves significant structural remodeling driven by protein interactions.
The metastable intermediate state is a key feature of the HK97 maturation pathway.
Understanding these mechanisms provides insights into viral assembly and potential antiviral targets.