Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 103, Issue 37, Pages 13706-13711Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0601881103
Keywords
capsid; virion; nanomechanics; finite element methods; atomic force microscopy
Categories
Funding
- Medical Research Council [MC_U117570593] Funding Source: researchfish
- Medical Research Council [MC_U117570593] Funding Source: Medline
- MRC [MC_U117570593] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
in this work, we provide evidence of a mechanism to reinforce the strength of an icosahedral virus by using its genomic DNA as a structural element. The mechanical properties of individual empty capsids and DNA-containing virions of the minute virus of mice are investigated by using atomic force microscopy. The stiffness of the empty capsid is found to be isotropic. Remarkably, the presence of the DNA inside the virion leads to an anisotropic reinforcement of the virus stiffness by approximate to 3%, 40%, and 140% along the fivefold, threefold, and twofold symmetry axes, respectively. A finite element model of the virus indicates that this anisotropic mechanical reinforcement is due to DNA stretches bound to 60 concavities of the capsid. These results, together with evidence of biologically relevant conformational rearrangements of the capsid around pores located at the fivefold symmetry axes, suggest that the bound DNA may reinforce the overall stiffness of the viral particle without canceling the conformational changes needed for its infectivity.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available