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Viral Structure

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.

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Related Experiment Video

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Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo

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Published on: January 7, 2019

Maturation of Viruses.

Gabriela N Condezo¹, Carmen San Martín²

¹Department of Macromolecular Structure, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain. gncondezo@cnb.csic.es.

Sub-Cellular Biochemistry

|December 31, 2024

Summary

Viral maturation creates metastable particles essential for infectivity. This process involves structural changes for extracellular stability and timely genome release, detailed across six viral realms.

Keywords:

Capsid Envelope Scaffold Stability Uncoating Virus assembly Virus protease Virus realms Virus structure

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Paramyxoviruses for Tumor-targeted Immunomodulation: Design and Evaluation Ex Vivo

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Simple and Robust in vivo and in vitro Approach for Studying Virus Assembly

Simple and Robust in vivo and in vitro Approach for Studying Virus Assembly

Published on: March 1, 2012

Area of Science:

Virology
Structural Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Viruses utilize diverse structures like protein cages and lipid envelopes for genome transport.
Virion formation involves capsid assembly, genome packaging, and a critical maturation step.

Purpose of the Study:

To outline and explain the crucial viral maturation process.
To detail maturation strategies across representative viruses from six proposed taxonomic realms.

Main Methods:

Review and synthesis of existing literature on viral morphogenesis.
Analysis of common maturation strategies including structural reordering, proteolysis, and posttranslational modifications.

Main Results:

Maturation produces metastable virions, balancing stability for transport with readiness for genome delivery.
Identified common strategies like controlled proteolysis and posttranslational modifications.

Conclusions:

Viral maturation is a key step for achieving infectivity by creating particles optimized for both extracellular survival and intracellular genome release.
Understanding these diverse maturation mechanisms provides insights into viral lifecycles and potential antiviral targets.