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Updated: Dec 5, 2025

Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Published on: July 27, 2021
Conformational Dynamics of Nonenveloped Circovirus Capsid to the Host Cell Receptor
Jiarong Li1, Jinyan Gu1, Cui Lin1
1MOA Key Laboratory of Animal Virology, Center for Veterinary Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China.
Abstract:
Circovirus, comprising one capsid protein, is the smallest nonenveloped virus and induces lymphopenia. Circovirus can be used to explore the cell adhesion mechanism of nonenveloped viruses. We developed a single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) assay to directly visualize the capsid's conformational feature. The capsid underwent reversible dynamic transformation between three conformations. The cell surface receptor heparan sulfate (HS) altered the dynamic equilibrium of the capsid to the high-FRET state, revealing the HS-binding region. Neutralizing antibodies restricted capsid transition to a low-FRET state, masking the HS-binding domain. The lack of positively charged amino acids in the HS-binding site reduced cell surface affinity and attenuated virus infectivity via conformational changes. These intrinsic characteristics of the capsid suggested that conformational dynamics is critical for the structural changes occurring upon cell surface receptor binding, supporting a dynamics-based mechanism of receptor binding.
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