Membrane Assembly during the Infection Cycle of the Giant Mimivirus
Figure 6
Mimivirus L425 protein acts as an icosahedral capsid scaffolding protein.
A–D. 8-hours PI cells were cryo-preserved and exposed to rabbit anti-L425 antibodies, followed by exposure to gold-conjugated goat anti-rabbit antibody, revealing that pre-assembled capsids (arrows) as well as fully assembled icosahedral capsids (arrowheads) include L425. E–G. Infected cells processed by the immuno-TEM Tokuyasu method. As is the case for cryo-preserved specimens, anti-L425 antibodies specifically label the external layer of the open sheet membrane. Scale bars: 500 nm in A, D and E; 200 nm in B–C; 100 nm in F–G.