Packing and trimer-to-dimer protein reconstruction in icosahedral viral shells with a single type of symmetrical structural unit.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the principles of protein packing and the mechanisms driving morphological transformations in virus shells (capsids) during their maturation can be pivotal for the development of new antiviral strategies. Here, we study how these principles and mechanisms manifest themselves in icosahedral viral capsids assembled from identical symmetric structural units (capsomeres). To rationalize such shells, we model capsomers as symmetrical groups of identical particles interacting with a short-range potential typical of the classic Tammes problem. The capsomere particles are assumed to retain their relative positions on the vertices of planar polygons placed on the spherical shell and to interact only with the particles from other capsomeres. Minimization of the interaction energy enfor

SUBMITTER: Rochal SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9595183 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature