title: The structures of a naturally empty cowpea mosaic virus particle and its genome-containing counterpart by cryo-electron microscopy.
abstract: Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) is a picorna-like plant virus. As well as an intrinsic interest in CPMV as a plant pathogen, CPMV is of major interest in biotechnology applications such as nanotechnology. Here, we report high resolution cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps of wild type CPMV containing RNA-2, and of naturally-formed empty CPMV capsids. The resolution of these structures is sufficient to visualise large amino acids. We have refined an atomic model for each map and identified an essential amino acid involved in genome encapsidation. This work has furthered our knowledge of Picornavirales genome encapsidation and will assist further work in the development of CPMV as a biotechnological tool.
authors.affiliation: Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK. e.l.hesketh@leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Emma L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Hesketh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meshcheriakova
authors.affiliation: Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Lomonossoff
authors.affiliation: Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK. n.a.ranson@leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Neil A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3640-5275
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Ranson
mesh_terms: D002213:Capsid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D017798:Comovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D016679:Genome, Viral; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012367:RNA, Viral