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Related Concept Videos

Viral Structure00:56

Viral Structure

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.
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes01:26

Size and Structure of Viral Genomes

Viral genomes exhibit remarkable diversity in size, structure, and composition, influencing their replication strategies and interactions with host cells. These genomes consist of either DNA or RNA and may be linear or circular. Additionally, they can be single-stranded or double-stranded, with each configuration affecting how the virus propagates within a host. RNA viruses, for instance, generally have smaller genomes than DNA viruses, a factor that contributes to their high mutation rates and...
Introduction to Virus01:28

Introduction to Virus

Viruses are unique biological entities that blur the boundary between living and non-living systems. Although they lack cellular structure and metabolic processes, they can exhibit characteristics of life when infecting a host. Their defining feature is a nucleic acid core, composed of either DNA or RNA, encapsulated within a protein coat called a capsid. This simple structure allows them to invade host cells and use their machinery for replication efficiently.Viral Structure and...
Human Virome01:26

Human Virome

The human body harbors a vast and diverse viral community known as the human virome. The virome includes bacteriophages that infect bacteria, and eukaryotic viruses that infect human cells. Transient dietary and environmental viruses also contribute to this dynamic ecosystem. Estimates suggest the human body may contain on the order of 10¹³ viral particles, though abundance varies widely by body site and detection method.Comprehensive characterization of the virome has become possible only with...
What are Viruses?00:50

What are Viruses?

Overview
Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Averaging of Viral Envelope Glycoprotein Spikes from Electron Cryotomography Reconstructions using Jsubtomo
08:29

Averaging of Viral Envelope Glycoprotein Spikes from Electron Cryotomography Reconstructions using Jsubtomo

Published on: October 21, 2014

Structure unifies the viral universe.

Nicola G A Abrescia1, Dennis H Bamford, Jonathan M Grimes

  • 1Structural Biology Unit, CIC bioGUNE, CIBERehd, 48160 Derio, Spain. nabrescia@cicbiogune.es

Annual Review of Biochemistry
|April 10, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Comprehending viral diversity is possible by focusing on structural constraints, not just genomic variation. Viral structure classification offers a powerful method for understanding virus evolution and relationships.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Averaging of Viral Envelope Glycoprotein Spikes from Electron Cryotomography Reconstructions using Jsubtomo
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Published on: October 21, 2014

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Open-source Single-particle Analysis for Super-resolution Microscopy with VirusMapper

Published on: April 9, 2017

Assembly and Purification of Prototype Foamy Virus Intasomes
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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Structural Biology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • The viral world exhibits immense genomic diversity, making traditional classification challenging.
  • Viruses are constrained by structural limitations in protein folding and virion assembly.
  • Previous work suggested using structural similarities for higher-order virus classification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and argue for the feasibility of comprehending viral diversity through structural analysis.
  • To highlight the utility of viral structure in inferring common ancestry.
  • To discuss current advancements, limitations, and future directions in structural virology.

Main Methods:

  • Review and summarization of arguments for structure-based virus classification.
  • Analysis of current structural biology data and its application to inferring evolutionary relationships.
  • Discussion of limitations and challenges in large-scale structural analysis of viruses.

Main Results:

  • Viral structure provides a robust framework for classification beyond genomic comparisons.
  • Structural data demonstrates power in inferring common ancestry among viruses.
  • Significant progress has been made in structural work, but challenges remain.

Conclusions:

  • Viral diversity can be meaningfully comprehended by focusing on conserved structural principles.
  • Structure-based classification offers a powerful complementary approach to genomic methods.
  • Future efforts should focus on high-throughput methods for large-scale virosphere sampling.