In vitro assembly of the Rous Sarcoma Virus capsid protein into hexamer tubes at physiological temperature.

ABSTRACT: During a proteolytically-driven maturation process, the orthoretroviral capsid protein (CA) assembles to form the convex shell that surrounds the viral genome. In some orthoretroviruses, including Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV), CA carries a short and hydrophobic spacer peptide (SP) at its C-terminus early in the maturation process, which is progressively removed as maturation proceeds. In this work, we show that RSV CA assembles in vitro at near-physiological temperatures, forming hexamer tubes that effectively model the mature capsid surface. Tube assembly is strongly influenced by electrostatic effects, and is a nucleated process that remains thermodynamically favored at lower temperatures, but is effectively arrested by the large Gibbs energy barrier associated with nucleation. RSV CA tubes

SUBMITTER: Jaballah SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5460288 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature