title: Near-atomic-resolution cryo-EM for molecular virology.
abstract: Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) is a technique in structural biology that is widely used to solve the three-dimensional structures of macromolecular assemblies, close to their biological and solution conditions. Recent improvements in cryo-EM and single-particle reconstruction methodologies have led to the determination of several virus structures at near-atomic resolution (3.3 - 4.6 Å). These cryo-EM structures not only resolve the Cα backbones and side-chain densities of viral capsid proteins, but also suggest functional roles that the protein domains and some key amino acid residues play. This paper reviews the recent advances in near-atomic-resolution cryo-EM for probing the mechanisms of virus assembly and morphogenesis.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Corey F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Hryc
authors.forename: Dong-Hua
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wah
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chiu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000821:virology; D014780:Viruses / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins