Structural organization of DNA in chlorella viruses.

ABSTRACT: Chlorella viruses have icosahedral capsids with an internal membrane enclosing their large dsDNA genomes and associated proteins. Their genomes are packaged in the particles with a predicted DNA density of ca. 0.2 bp nm(-3). Occasionally infection of an algal cell by an individual particle fails and the viral DNA is dynamically ejected from the capsid. This shows that the release of the DNA generates a force, which can aid in the transfer of the genome into the host in a successful infection. Imaging of ejected viral DNA indicates that it is intimately associated with proteins in a periodic fashion. The bulk of the protein particles detected by atomic force microscopy have a size of ∼60 kDa and two proteins (A278L and A282L) of about this size are among 6 basic putative DNA binding protein

SUBMITTER: Wulfmeyer T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3281028 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature