Electron tomography and simulation of baculovirus actin comet tails support a tethered filament model of pathogen propulsion.

ABSTRACT: Several pathogens induce propulsive actin comet tails in cells they invade to disseminate their infection. They achieve this by recruiting factors for actin nucleation, the Arp2/3 complex, and polymerization regulators from the host cytoplasm. Owing to limited information on the structural organization of actin comets and in particular the spatial arrangement of filaments engaged in propulsion, the underlying mechanism of pathogen movement is currently speculative and controversial. Using electron tomography we have resolved the three-dimensional architecture of actin comet tails propelling baculovirus, the smallest pathogen yet known to hijack the actin motile machinery. Comet tail geometry was also mimicked in mixtures of virus capsids with purified actin and a minimal inventory of actin

SUBMITTER: Mueller J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3891563 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature