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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 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

Nucleic acid packaging in viruses.

Jeffrey A Speir¹, John E Johnson

¹Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States.

Current Opinion in Structural Biology

|January 27, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Viral genome structure dictates organization and protein interactions. Double-stranded DNA viruses exhibit higher internal pressures than single-stranded genomes due to DNA stiffness, despite similar packing densities.

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Area of Science:

Virology
Structural Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Viral genomes interact with capsid proteins, influencing organization.
Genome type (ssRNA, ssDNA, dsDNA) affects flexibility and interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To review literature on protein-nucleic acid interactions in viruses.
To understand viral genome organization and its determinants.

Main Methods:

Literature review of recent studies.
Comparative analysis of viral genome types and their properties.

Main Results:

Single-stranded (ss) RNA and DNA genomes are flexible, adapting to capsid symmetry.
Double-stranded (ds) DNA genomes are stiff, forming organized layers and experiencing high internal pressures.
Virion assembly differs: cooperative condensation for ss genomes, genome pumping for dsDNA viruses.

Conclusions:

Genome stiffness is a key factor in viral organization and internal pressure.
Packing density of ss and ds genomes is comparable, but ds genomes generate higher pressures.