The 2.6-Angstrom structure of infectious bursal disease virus-derived T=1 particles reveals new stabilizing elements of the virus capsid.

ABSTRACT: Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), a member of the Birnaviridae family, is a double-stranded RNA virus that causes a highly contagious disease in young chickens leading to significant economic losses in the poultry industry. The VP2 protein, the only structural component of the IBDV icosahedral capsid, spontaneously assembles into T=1 subviral particles (SVP) when individually expressed as a chimeric gene. We have determined the crystal structure of the T=1 SVP to 2.60 A resolution. Our results show that the 20 trimeric VP2 clusters forming the T=1 shell are further stabilized by calcium ions located at the threefold icosahedral axes. The structure also reveals a new unexpected domain swapping that mediates interactions between adjacent trimers: a short helical segment located close t

SUBMITTER: Garriga D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1489058 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature