title: Three-dimensional structure of the Epstein-Barr virus capsid.
abstract: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a gammaherpesvirus, infects >90 % of the world's population. Primary infection by EBV can lead to infectious mononucleosis, and EBV persistence is associated with several malignancies. Despite its importance for human health, little structural information is available on EBV. Here we report the purification of the EBV capsid by CsCl- or sucrose density-gradient centrifugation. Cryo-electron microscopy and image analysis resulted in two slightly different three-dimensional structures at about 20 Å resolution. These structures were compared with that of human herpesvirus 8, another gammaherpesvirus. CsCl-gradient purification leads to the removal of part of the triplex complex around the fivefold axes, whereas the complexes between hexons remained in place. This may be due to local differences in stability resulting from variation in quasi-equivalent interactions between pentons and hexons compared with those between hexons only.
authors.affiliation: CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France.|Unit for Virus Host Cell Interactions, UMI 3265, Université Joseph Fourier-EMBL-CNRS, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Raphaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Germi
authors.affiliation: Unit for Virus Host Cell Interactions, UMI 3265, Université Joseph Fourier-EMBL-CNRS, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Effantin
authors.affiliation: CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France.|Unit for Virus Host Cell Interactions, UMI 3265, Université Joseph Fourier-EMBL-CNRS, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.affiliation: Unit for Virus Host Cell Interactions, UMI 3265, Université Joseph Fourier-EMBL-CNRS, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Rob W H
authors.initials: RWH
authors.lastname: Ruigrok
authors.affiliation: CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France.|Unit for Virus Host Cell Interactions, UMI 3265, Université Joseph Fourier-EMBL-CNRS, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Morand
authors.affiliation: CNRS - Institut de Biologie Structurale-Jean-Pierre Ebel, UMR 5075, 41 rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble Cedex, France.|Unit for Virus Host Cell Interactions, UMI 3265, Université Joseph Fourier-EMBL-CNRS, Grenoble, France.|UJF-Grenoble-1 - Institut de Biologie Structurale-Jean-Pierre Ebel, UMR 5075, 41 rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble Cedex, France.|CEA - Institut de Biologie Structurale-Jean-Pierre Ebel, UMR 5075, 41 rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schoehn
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D002586:Cesium; D002712:Chlorides; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000502:physiology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008958:Models, Molecular; D013395:Sucrose
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D002712:Chlorides; D004279:DNA, Viral; D002586:Cesium; D013395:Sucrose; C028019:cesium chloride