title: The crystal structure of a virus-like particle from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus provides insight into the evolution of viruses.
abstract: Pyrococcus furiosus is a hyperthermophilic archaeal microorganism found near deep-sea thermal vents and its optimal growth temperature of 100 degrees C. Recently, a 38.8-kDa protein from P. furiosus DSM 3638 was isolated and characterized. Electron microscopy revealed that this protein aggregated as spheres of approximately 30 nm in diameter, which we designated P. furiosus virus-like particles (PfVs). X-ray crystallographic analysis at 3.6-A resolution revealed that each PfV consisted of 180 copies of the 38.8-kDa protein and retained T=3 icosahedral symmetry, as is often the case in spherical viruses. The total molecular mass of each particle was approximately 7 MDa. An examination of capsid structures suggested strong evolutionary links among PfV, tailed double-stranded DNA bacteriophages, and herpes viruses. The similar three-dimensional structures of the various coat proteins indicate that these viral capsids might have originated and evolved from a common ancestor. The structure of PfV provides a previously undescribed example of viral relationships across the three domains of life (Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea).
authors.affiliation: Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Fusamichi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akita
authors.forename: Khoon Tee
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Eiki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakaishi
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Namba
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Tomitake
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukihara
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005075:Biological Evolution; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D020027:Pyrococcus furiosus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000821:virology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014780:Viruses / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D021122:Protein Subunits; D014764:Viral Proteins