Vir. J. Bio. Phys. Res. / Volume 19 / Issue 4 / PHYSICAL STUDIES OF CELL MECHANICS

Cryo-EM Model of the Bullet-Shaped Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

Source: Science 327, 689 (2010); doi:10.1126/science.1181766

Issue Date: 15 February 2010

ABSTRACT

^* Full Text: Access via Source Journal Abstract

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN:

1553-9628 (online)

Publisher:

AAAS

Peng Ge,^{ff1,ff2,ff3,ff4} Jun Tsao,^ff5 Stan Schein,^ff2,ff6 Todd J. Green,^ff5 Ming Luo,^ff5 and Z. Hong Zhou^{ff1,ff2,ff3,ff4}
^ff1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095-7364, USA.
^ff2California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA, 237 BSRB, 615 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7364, USA.
^ff3Structural Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
^ff4Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
^ff5Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
^ff6Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7364, USA.

Vesicularstomatitis virus (VSV) is a bullet-shaped rhabdovirus and a modelsystem of negative-strand RNA viruses. Through direct visualization by meansof cryo–electron microscopy, we show that each virion contains twonested, left-handed helices: an outer helix of matrix protein Mand an inner helix of nucleoprotein N and RNA. Mhas a hub domain with four contact sites that linkto neighboring M and N subunits, providing rigidity by clampingadjacent turns of the nucleocapsid. Side-by-side interactions between neighboring Nsubunits are critical for the nucleocapsid to form a bulletshape, and structure-based mutagenesis results support this description. Together, ourdata suggest a mechanism of VSV assembly in which thenucleocapsid spirals from the tip to become the helical trunk,both subsequently framed and rigidified by the M layer. ©2010 American Association for the Advancement of Science

(As supplied by publisher.)

History:	Received September 10, 2009; accepted December 15, 2009
Permalink:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1181766

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Cryo-EM Model of the Bullet-Shaped Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

Source: Science 327, 689 (2010); doi:10.1126/science.1181766