title: Self-organization: making complex infectious viral particles from purified precursors.
abstract: Viruses have served as excellent model systems in which to study biological self-organization. Purified virion structural constituents have been shown to self-assemble into particles that can initiate a productive infection in the host cell resulting in the release of progeny virions. Accumulating information on virus structures and assembly principles has revealed unexpected similarities between viruses that infect hosts as diverse as bacteria and humans, suggesting that these viruses had an early common ancestor. I will describe, in more detail, the assembly pathway of a complex double-stranded RNA bacterial virus. In this system, infectious viral particles are produced starting from purified protein and nucleic acid constituents through an elaborate self-assembly, RNA-packaging and synthesis pathway.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Biosciences, PO Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5), 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. dennis.bamford@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Dennis H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bamford
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D025461:Feedback, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D014771:Virion / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D019065:Virus Assembly / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011498:Protein Precursors; D014764:Viral Proteins