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DNA packaging orders the membrane of bacteriophage PRD1
S J Butcher1, D H Bamford, S D Fuller
1Structural Biology Programme, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
The EMBO Journal
|December 15, 1995
Summary
Bacteriophage PRD1
Area of Science:
- Structural biology
- Virology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Bacteriophage PRD1 is a virus with a linear double-stranded DNA genome.
- Its structure consists of a protein coat enclosing a lipid membrane and the genome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the structure of bacteriophage PRD1 at high resolution.
- To elucidate the role of the lipid membrane in viral assembly.
Main Methods:
- Cryo-electron microscopy and three-dimensional reconstruction were used to determine the structure.
- Analysis of detergent-treated particles and DNA packaging mutants.
Main Results:
- The major coat protein P3 forms a T=25 lattice with 240 trimeric units.
- Specific interactions between the protein coat and the lipid membrane were identified.
- The viral coat size remains constant during DNA packaging, but membrane interactions and order increase.
Conclusions:
- The lipid membrane of bacteriophage PRD1 is integral to its assembly process.
- This role is analogous to the nucleocapsid in other enveloped viruses.