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Updated: May 23, 2026

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Isolation of Viral Replication Compartment-enriched Sub-nuclear Fractions from Adenovirus-infected Normal Human Cells
Published on: November 12, 2015
Structure of human adenovirus
Glen R Nemerow1, Phoebe L Stewart, Vijay S Reddy
1The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States. gnemerow@scripps.edu
Current Opinion in Virology
|April 10, 2012
Summary
Researchers determined the structure of the human adenovirus capsid, a large macromolecular complex, using X-ray diffraction. This reveals key protein interactions essential for virus assembly and host cell interactions.
Area of Science:
- Structural biology
- Virology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a complex macromolecular assembly (150 MDa).
- Previous structural analyses were limited by size and complexity.
- Understanding HAdV structure is crucial for viral assembly and host interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the high-resolution structure of the entire human adenovirus capsid.
- To elucidate the organization and interactions of viral proteins.
Main Methods:
- X-ray diffraction at 3.5 Å resolution.
- Advances in viral genome manipulation.
- Improvements in crystallographic techniques and data processing.
Main Results:
- Detailed structure of the 150 MDa human adenovirus capsid determined.
- Location, folds, and interactions of major and minor capsid proteins identified.
- Insights into protein organization on inner and outer capsid surfaces.
Conclusions:
- The determined structure provides a comprehensive view of the adenovirus capsid.
- Structural information illuminates adenovirus assembly mechanisms.
- New insights into virus-host cell interactions are provided.
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