Figures
Structure of the herpes simplex virus portal-vertex
The herpesvirus family includes many important human pathogens such as herpes simplex viruses that cause cold-sores and human cytomegalovirus, a major cause of congenital abnormalities; several herpes viruses are known to cause cancer. Herpes viruses assemble enveloped virus particles (virions) that incorporate a large DNA-containing icosahedral capsid. Virion assembly commences in the nucleus of an infected cell, where the viral genome is pumped into preassembled capsids by a portal motor that is located at a unique 5-fold symmetry axis—the portal-vertex. This study by McElwee et al. used cryogenic electron microscopy and 3D image reconstruction to solve the structure of the portal-vertex of herpes simplex virus type 1 at 8 Å resolution. Their structure reveals the presence of several previously unknown features including a novel pentameric assembly that exhibits a coiled-coil motif comprising two α-helices. The image shows a close-up view of the portal-vertex, including the portal (mauve), the pentameric portal-vertex protein (purple), and the periportal triplex-like density (magenta).
Image Credit: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006191
Citation: (2018) PLoS Biology Issue Image | Vol. 16(6) June 2018. PLoS Biol 16(6): ev16.i06. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pbio.v16.i06
Published: June 29, 2018
Copyright: © 2018 McElwee et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The herpesvirus family includes many important human pathogens such as herpes simplex viruses that cause cold-sores and human cytomegalovirus, a major cause of congenital abnormalities; several herpes viruses are known to cause cancer. Herpes viruses assemble enveloped virus particles (virions) that incorporate a large DNA-containing icosahedral capsid. Virion assembly commences in the nucleus of an infected cell, where the viral genome is pumped into preassembled capsids by a portal motor that is located at a unique 5-fold symmetry axis—the portal-vertex. This study by McElwee et al. used cryogenic electron microscopy and 3D image reconstruction to solve the structure of the portal-vertex of herpes simplex virus type 1 at 8 Å resolution. Their structure reveals the presence of several previously unknown features including a novel pentameric assembly that exhibits a coiled-coil motif comprising two α-helices. The image shows a close-up view of the portal-vertex, including the portal (mauve), the pentameric portal-vertex protein (purple), and the periportal triplex-like density (magenta).
Image Credit: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006191