Abstract
The parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM) packages a single copy of its linear single-stranded DNA genome into preformed capsids, in a process that is probably driven by a virus-encoded helicase. Parvoviruses have a roughly cylindrically shaped pore that surrounds each of the 12 5-fold vertices. The pore, which penetrates the virion shell, is created by the juxtaposition of 10 antiparallel β-strands, two from each of the 5-fold-related capsid proteins. There is a bottleneck in the channel formed by the symmetry-related side chains of the leucines at position 172. We report here the X-ray crystal structure of the particles produced by a leucine-to-tryptophan mutation at position 172 and the analysis of its biochemical properties. The mutant capsid had its 5-fold channel blocked, and the particles were unable to package DNA, strongly suggesting that the 5-fold pore is the packaging portal for genome entry.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 4822-4827 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of virology |
Volume | 85 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2011 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Insect Science
- Virology