Real-Time Assembly of Viruslike Nucleocapsids Elucidated at the Single-Particle Level.
Nano Lett
; 19(8): 5746-5753, 2019 08 14.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31368710
ABSTRACT
While the structure of a multitude of viral particles has been resolved to atomistic detail, their assembly pathways remain largely elusive. Key unresolved issues are particle nucleation, particle growth, and the mode of genome compaction. These issues are difficult to address in bulk approaches and are effectively only accessible by the real-time tracking of assembly dynamics of individual particles. This we do here by studying the assembly into rod-shaped viruslike particles (VLPs) of artificial capsid polypeptides. Using fluorescence optical tweezers, we establish that small oligomers perform one-dimensional diffusion along the DNA. Larger oligomers are immobile and nucleate VLP growth. A multiplexed acoustic force spectroscopy approach reveals that DNA is compacted in regular steps, suggesting packaging via helical wrapping into a nucleocapsid. By reporting how real-time assembly tracking elucidates viral nucleation and growth principles, our work opens the door to a fundamental understanding of the complex assembly pathways of both VLPs and naturally evolved viruses.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Péptidos
/
Virión
/
Nucleocápside
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nano Lett
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Países Bajos