科學家研究單純皰疹病毒基因組的冷凍電鏡結構
作者:
小柯機器人發布時間:2019/7/18 16:29:21
加州大學Z. Hong Zhou研究團隊取得一項新突破。他們提出了單純性皰疹病毒1型病毒粒子的頂端入口和包裝基因組的低溫電鏡結構。這一研究成果發表在2019年5月29日出版的國際學術期刊《自然》上。
為更好地定義單純皰疹病毒1型基因組組織和包裝的結構基礎,研究團隊開發了連續的局部分類和對稱鬆弛方法,來處理1型單純皰疹病毒粒子的低溫冷凍電子顯微鏡(冷凍電鏡)的圖像,使他們能夠分離和重構偽二十面體衣殼內的異源對稱和不對稱元素。該課題組研究人員提出了病毒唯一的頂端入口,基因組末端和衣殼內纏繞在一個無序dsDNA核心上的有序的dsDNA線圈的原位結構。該團隊鑑定出了覆蓋於病毒粒子頂端入口的觸手狀螺旋和一個球形複合物,此類結構從未在在噬菌體中被觀察到過,這表明在dna包裝過程中,皰疹病毒具有特異性的適應性。最後,他們建立的頂端入口元素的原子模型揭示了五重相關衣殼是如何適應十二聚體入口所帶來的的對稱性不匹配的(二十面體病毒中一個長期存在的謎),並為基因組包裝中可能涉及的dna序列識別和頭部感知通路提供了信息。這項工作展示了如何去解決一個大型真核病毒對稱不匹配的元素,並提供了對皰疹病毒基因組包裝機制的深入認識。
據了解,皰疹病毒是帶有包膜的病毒,在人類中普遍存在,並與多種疾病有關,包括唇皰疹、先天缺陷和癌症。它們的特徵都是一個三角化數(T)等於16的高度密封的偽二十面體衣殼,裡面緊密包裹病毒的雙鏈DNA (dsDNA)基因組。皰疹病毒生命周期中的一個關鍵過程包括將一個ATP驅動的末端酶招募到一個唯一的頂端入口,以識別、包裝和切割多聯體雙鏈DNA,最終生成一個密閉的、含有基因組的病毒粒子。雖然這個過程已經在雙鏈DNA噬菌體上獲得研究驗證,而且皰疹病毒與其也有一些相似之處,但是由於缺乏基因組組裝機制的高解析度的原位結構,因此大大阻礙了需要在一個集成環境下和多因子緊密配合才能完成的基因組組裝多步反應的闡明。
附:英文原文
Title: Cryo-EM structures of herpes simplex virus type 1 portal vertex and packaged genome
Author: Yun-Tao Liu, Jonathan Jih, Xinghong Dai, Guo-Qiang Bi, Z. Hong Zhou
Issue&Volume: Volume 570 Issue 7760, 13 June 2019
Abstract: Herpesviruses are enveloped viruses that are prevalent in the human population and are responsible for diverse pathologies, including cold sores, birth defects and cancers. They are characterized by a highly pressurized pseudo-icosahedral capsid—with triangulation number (T) equal to 16—encapsidating a tightly packed double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome. A key process in the herpesvirus life cycle involves the recruitment of an ATP-driven terminase to a unique portal vertex to recognize, package and cleave concatemeric dsDNA, ultimately giving rise to a pressurized, genome-containing virion. Although this process has been studied in dsDNA phages—with which herpesviruses bear some similarities—a lack of high-resolution in situ structures of genome-packaging machinery has prevented the elucidation of how these multi-step reactions, which require close coordination among multiple actors, occur in an integrated environment. To better define the structural basis of genome packaging and organization in herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), we developed sequential localized classification and symmetry relaxation methods to process cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) images of HSV-1 virions, which enabled us to decouple and reconstruct hetero-symmetric and asymmetric elements within the pseudo-icosahedral capsid. Here we present in situ structures of the unique portal vertex, genomic termini and ordered dsDNA coils in the capsid spooled around a disordered dsDNA core. We identify tentacle-like helices and a globular complex capping the portal vertex that is not observed in phages, indicative of herpesvirus-specific adaptations in the DNA-packaging process. Finally, our atomic models of portal vertex elements reveal how the fivefold-related capsid accommodates symmetry mismatch imparted by the dodecameric portal—a longstanding mystery in icosahedral viruses—and inform possible DNA-sequence recognition and headful-sensing pathways involved in genome packaging. This work showcases how to resolve symmetry-mismatched elements in a large eukaryotic virus and provides insights into the mechanisms of herpesvirus genome packaging.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1248-6
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1248-6