Virus maturation involving large subunit rotations and local refolding.
Conway, J.F., Wikoff, W.R., Cheng, N., Duda, R.L., Hendrix, R.W., Johnson, J.E., Steven, A.C.(2001) Science 292: 744-748
- PubMed: 11326105
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1058069
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
1IF0 - PubMed Abstract:
Large-scale conformational changes transform viral precursors into infectious virions. The structure of bacteriophage HK97 capsid, Head-II, was recently solved by crystallography, revealing a catenated cross-linked topology. We have visualized its precursor, Prohead-II, by cryoelectron microscopy and modeled the conformational change by appropriately adapting Head-II. Rigid-body rotations ( approximately 40 degrees) cause switching to an entirely different set of interactions; in addition, two motifs undergo refolding. These changes stabilize the capsid by increasing the surface area buried at interfaces and bringing the cross-link-forming residues, initially approximately 40 angstroms apart, close together. The inner surface of Prohead-II is negatively charged, suggesting that the transition is triggered electrostatically by DNA packaging.
Organizational Affiliation:
Laboratory of Structural Biology Research, National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.