Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2025
05:31
Sample Preparation for Single Virion Atomic Force Microscopy and Super-resolution Fluorescence Imaging
Published on: January 2, 2014
9.6K
Fluorescence, Circular Dichroism and Mass Spectrometry as Tools to Study Virus Structure
José L Neira1,2
1IDIBE, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Alicante, Spain. jlneira@umh.es.
Sub-Cellular Biochemistry
|December 31, 2024
Summary
Analytical spectroscopic techniques like fluorescence and circular dichroism, along with mass spectrometry, offer crucial insights into virus structure and dynamics. These biophysical methods reveal virus composition, stability, and interactions, complementing atomic-resolution techniques.
Area of Science:
- Structural virology
- Biophysical methods
Background:
- Fluorescence, circular dichroism, and mass spectrometry are key biophysical techniques.
- These methods provide insights into virus particle composition, structure, stability, dynamics, assembly, maturation, and interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the physical foundations of fluorescence, circular dichroism, and mass spectrometry.
- To demonstrate their application in understanding virus particle structure and physicochemical properties.
Main Methods:
- Analytical spectroscopy (fluorescence and circular dichroism)
- Mass spectrometry
- Analysis of virus particle composition, structure, stability, dynamics, and interactions
Main Results:
- These techniques provide valuable information on virus particle characteristics.
- They complement high-resolution methods like cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and NMR spectroscopy.
- Applications include investigating molecular determinants of virus structure and responses to external factors.
Conclusions:
- Fluorescence, circular dichroism, and mass spectrometry are essential tools in structural virology.
- They offer critical insights into the physicochemical properties and behavior of virus particles.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Cryo-electron Microscopy
3.2K
Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...
3.2K
01:37Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy
6.7K
Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been...
6.7K
00:56Viral Structure
60.9K
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.
60.9K