Translocation portals for the substrates and products of a viral transcription complex: the bluetongue virus core

JM Diprose, JN Burroughs, GC Sutton, A Goldsmith, P Gouet, R Malby, Ian Overton, S Zientara, PPC Mertens, DI Stuart, JM Grimes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The bluetongue virus core is a molecular machine that simultaneously and repeatedly transcribes mRNA from 10 segments of viral double-stranded RNA, packaged in a liquid crystalline array. To determine how the logistical problems of transcription within a sealed shell are solved, core crystals were soaked with various ligands and analysed by X-ray crystallography. Mg2+ ions produce a slight expansion of the capsid around the 5-fold axes. Oligonucleotide soaks demonstrate that the 5-fold pore, opened up by this expansion, is the exit site for mRNA, whilst nucleotide soaks pinpoint a separate binding site that appears to be a selective channel for the entry and exit of substrates and by-products. Finally, nucleotides also bind to the outer core layer, providing a substrate sink.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)7229-7239
JournalEMBO Journal
Volume20
Issue number24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Dec 2001

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Bluetongue virus
  • Reoviridae
  • TRANSCRIPTION
  • Virus structure
  • X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY

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