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10:22
Isolation of Viral Replication Compartment-enriched Sub-nuclear Fractions from Adenovirus-infected Normal Human Cells
Published on: November 12, 2015
Latest insights on adenovirus structure and assembly
1Department of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Darwin 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain. carmen@cnb.csic.es
Viruses
|July 4, 2012
Summary
Adenovirus (AdV) structure is complex, involving major and minor proteins. Recent advances in X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) have revealed the complete virion structure and assembly intermediates.
Area of Science:
- Structural biology
- Virology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Adenovirus (AdV) capsid organization is complex, with major (hexon, penton, fiber) and minor proteins.
- Previous understanding relied on separate atomic structures and lower-resolution cryoEM maps.
- Structural information on AdV assembly intermediates was lacking until 2009.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent structural studies of Adenovirus (AdV).
- To highlight advancements in understanding AdV capsid organization and assembly.
- To discuss the roles of minor proteins in viral morphogenesis.
Main Methods:
- X-ray crystallography
- Cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM)
- Analysis of mature and immature viral particles
Main Results:
- Atomic resolution structures of the complete AdV virion were determined in 2010.
- CryoEM provided unprecedented detail of the icosahedral shell's protein networks.
- Structural differences between mature and immature AdV particles illuminated assembly stages.
Conclusions:
- Recent structural studies have significantly advanced the understanding of AdV capsid organization.
- High-resolution cryoEM and X-ray crystallography have been crucial for these discoveries.
- The findings offer insights into viral assembly and the roles of minor coat proteins.
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