BACKGROUND Pseudoviruses (PsVs) that encapsidate a reporter plasmid DNA have been used as surrogates for native human papillomavirus (HPV), whose continuous production is technically difficult. HPV PsVs have been designed to form capsids made up of the major capsid protein L1 and the minor capsid proteins L2. HPV PsVs have been produced in 293TT cells transfected with plasmid expressing L1 and ...

Antibodies are a critical immune correlate of protection for rhinoviruses, particularly those antibodies found in the secretory compartment. For nonenveloped viruses such as antibody binding to regions icosahedral capsid can neutralise infections by number different mechanisms. The purpose this review is address neutralising mechanisms rhinoviruses that would help progress vaccine development. ...

Adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) uses heparan sulfate proteoglycan as a cell surface-attachment receptor. In this study the structures of AAV2 alone and complexed with heparin were determined to approximately 18A resolution using cryo-electron microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction. A difference map showed positive density, modeled as heparin, close to the icosahedral two...

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes endemic or epidemic outbreaks of CHIK fever, which typically manifests as a febrile illness. To develop a CHIKV-specific diagnostic test, CHIKV capsid protein was expressed using a baculovirus expression system. The seroreactvity of the recombinant CHIKV capsid protein was evaluated by ELISA and immuochromatographic assay (ICA), using 40 anti-CHIKV-positive and ...

Bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) and Jembrana disease virus (JDV) are bovine lentiviruses that are closely related genetically. A recombinant fusion protein containing the capsid protein of BIV expressed in Escherichia coli was used to immunize mice and produce monoclonal antibodies. Six hybridomas specific for BIV capsid protein were identified, and one antibody, designated 10H1, was charac...

Papillomaviruses are a family of nonenveloped DNA tumor viruses. Some sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) types, including HPV type 16 (HPV16), cause cancer of the uterine cervix. Papillomaviruses encode two capsid proteins, L1 and L2. The major capsid protein, L1, can assemble spontaneously into a 72-pentamer icosahedral structure that closely resembles native virions. Although the...

Virus capsid assembly is a critical step in the viral life cycle. The underlying basis of capsid stability is key to understanding this process. Capsid subunits interact with weak individual contact energies to form a globally stable icosahedral lattice; this structure is ideal for encapsidating the viral genome and host partners and protecting its contents upon secretion, yet the unique proper...

Nonenveloped viral capsids are metastable structures that undergo conformational changes during virus entry that lead to interactions of the capsid or capsid fragments with the cell membrane. For members of the Caliciviridae, neither the nature of these structural changes in the capsid nor the factor(s) responsible for inducing these changes is known. Feline junctional adhesion molecule A (fJAM...

Orsay, the first virus discovered to naturally infect Caenorhabditis elegans or any nematode, has a bipartite, positive-sense RNA genome. Sequence analyses show that Orsay is related to nodaviruses, but molecular characterizations of Orsay reveal several unique features, such as the expression of a capsid-δ fusion protein and the use of an ATG-independent mechanism for translation initiation. H...

Extracts from Krebs II ascites cells and rabbit reticulocytes effectively synthesize viral proteins with Sindbis viral mRNA isolated from Sindbis-infected BHK cells. The major product is identical to Sindbis capsid protein on the basis of its electrophoretic mobility in sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gels and two-dimensional tryptic-peptide fingerprints. Various amounts of several additional...