There are two stages generally recognized in the viral capsid assembly: nucleation and elongation. This paper focuses on the nucleation stage and develops mathematical models for HIV-1 viral capsid nucleation based on six-species dynamical systems. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is used for parameter fitting to estimate the association and dissociation rates from biological exp...

UNLABELLED Following human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry into the host cell, the viral capsid gradually disassembles in a process called uncoating. A proper rate of uncoating is important for reverse transcription of the HIV-1 genome. Host restriction factors such as TRIM5α and TRIMCyp bind retroviral capsids and cause premature disassembly, leading to blocks in reverse transcript...

The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsid protein precursor, P1-2A, is cleaved by 3C(pro) to generate VP0, VP3, VP1, and the peptide 2A. The capsid proteins self-assemble into empty capsid particles or viruses which do not contain 2A. In a cell culture-adapted strain of FMDV (O1 Manisa [Lindholm]), three different amino acid substitutions (E83K, S134C, and K210E) were identified within the...

AAV vectors have shown great promise for clinical gene therapy (GT), but pre-existing human immunity against the AAV capsid often limits transduction. Thus, testing promising AAV-based GT approaches in an animal model with similar pre-existing immunity could better predict clinical outcome. Sheep have long been used for basic biological and preclinical studies. Moreover, we have re-established ...

Human rhinovirus (HRV) and other members of the enterovirus genus bind small-molecule antiviral compounds in a cavity buried within the viral capsid protein VP1. These compounds block the release of the viral protein VP4 and RNA from inside the capsid during the uncoating process. In addition, the antiviral compounds prevent "breathing" motions, the transient externalization of the N-terminal r...

The three-dimensional structure of adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotype 6 (AAV6) was determined using cryo-electron microscopy and image reconstruction and using X-ray crystallography to 9.7- and 3.0-Å resolution, respectively. The AAV6 capsid contains a highly conserved, eight-stranded (βB to βI) β-barrel core and large loop regions between the strands which form the capsid surface, as observ...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) p7 is a membrane-associated ion channel protein crucial for virus production. To analyze how p7 contributes to this process, we dissected HCV morphogenesis into sub-steps including recruitment of HCV core to lipid droplets (LD), virus capsid assembly, unloading of core protein from LDs and subsequent membrane envelopment of capsids. Interestingly, we observed accumulatio...

Protein synthesis is believed to be initiated with the amino acid methionine because the AUG translation initiation codon of mRNAs is recognized by the anticodon of initiator methionine transfer RNA. A group of positive-stranded RNA viruses of insects, however, lacks an AUG translation initiation codon for their capsid protein gene, which is located at the downstream part of the genome. The cap...

The head of bacteriophage T4 is a prolate icosahedron with one unique portal vertex to which the phage tail is attached. The three-dimensional structure of mature bacteriophage T4 head has been determined to 22-A resolution by using cryo-electron microscopy. The T4 capsid has a hexagonal surface lattice characterized by the triangulation numbers T(end) = 13 laevo for the icosahedral caps and T(...

Virus capsid assembly constitutes an attractive target for the development of antiviral therapies; a few experimental inhibitors of this process for HIV-1 and other viruses have been identified by screening compounds or by selection from chemical libraries. As a different, novel approach we have undertaken the rational design of peptides that could act as competitive assembly inhibitors by mimi...