The cryo-EM structure of African swine fever virus unravels a unique architecture comprising two icosahedral protein capsids and two lipoprotein membranes.

ABSTRACT: African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a complex nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (NCLDV) that causes a devastating swine disease currently present in many countries of Africa, Europe, and Asia. Despite intense research efforts, relevant gaps in the architecture of the infectious virus particle remain. Here, we used single-particle cryo-EM to analyze the three-dimensional structure of the mature ASFV particle. Our results show that the ASFV virion, with a radial diameter of ∼2,080 Å, encloses a genome-containing nucleoid surrounded by two distinct icosahedral protein capsids and two lipoprotein membranes. The outer capsid forms a hexagonal lattice (triangulation number T = 277) composed of 8,280 copies of the double jelly-roll major capsid protein (MCP) p72, arranged in trimers displa

SUBMITTER: Andres G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6952596 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature