title: Recombinant hepatitis E capsid protein self-assembles into a dual-domain T = 1 particle presenting native virus epitopes.
abstract: The three-dimensional structure of a self-assembled, recombinant hepatitis E virus particle has been solved to 22-A resolution by cryo-electron microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction. The single subunit of 50 kDa is derived from a truncated version of the open reading frame-2 gene of the virus expressed in a baculovirus system. This is the first structure of a T = 1 particle with protruding dimers at the icosahedral two-fold axes solved by cryo-electron microscopy. The protein shell of these hollow particles extends from a radius of 50 A outward to a radius of 135 A. In the reconstruction, the capsid is dominated by dimers that define the 30 morphological units. The outer domain of the homodimer forms a protrusion, which corresponds to the spike-like density seen in the cryo-electron micrograph. This particle retains native virus epitopes, suggesting its potential value as a vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences at Novum, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, 14157, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyamura
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hammar
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D002213:Capsid / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D000939:Epitopes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins