Illuminating the virus life cycle with single-molecule FRET imaging.

ABSTRACT: Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) imaging has emerged as a powerful tool to probe conformational dynamics of viral proteins, identify novel structural intermediates that are hiding in averaging population-based measurements, permit access to the energetics of transitions and as such to the precise molecular mechanisms of viral replication. One strength of smFRET is the capability of characterizing biological molecules in their fully hydrated/native state, which are not necessarily available to other structural methods. Elegant experimental design for physiologically relevant conditions, such as intact virions, has permitted the detection of previously unknown conformational states of viral glycoproteins, revealed asymmetric intermediates, and allowed access to the

SUBMITTER: Lu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7246055 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature