Crystal lattice as biological phenotype for insect viruses.
Many insect viruses survive for long periods by occlusion within robust crystalline polyhedra composed primarily of a single polyhedrin protein. We show that two different virus families form polyhedra which, despite lack of sequence similarity in the virally encoded polyhedrin protein, have identical cell constants and a body-centered cubic lattice. It is almost inconceivable that this could have arisen by chance, suggesting that the crystal lattice has been preserved because it is particularly well-suited to its function of packaging and protecting viruses.
Anduleit
Karin
K
Division of Structural Biology, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Sutton
Geoff
G
Diprose
Jonathan M
JM
Mertens
Peter P C
PP
Grimes
Jonathan M
JM
Stuart
David I
DI
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D007181:Inclusion Bodies, Viral / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D007304:Insect Viruses / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D045586:Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D009036:Moths / Q000737:chemistry / Q000821:virology; D033362:Powder Diffraction / Q000379:methods; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
D015678:Viral Structural Proteins