Liberation Station Radio Show, Sunday Web Edition w/ Chris Steiner, May 28, 2023 Hour 2
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I promised to post some information to research on virus structure determinations. So let’s start here: Vincent Racaniello wrote the following article where he describes:
1. Describes the general procedure to generate crystals of specific viruses for X-Ray Crystallography — the Old, cumbersome Method used to determine virus structure. (See paragraph 2 of the article.)
2. Paragraph 3 mentions X Ray Crystallography of the Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus, Poliovirus and Rhinovirus. Read what it states about the resolution.
3. Paragraph 3 mentions structure determination of the Zika virus by Cryo-Electron microscopy.
Some of the scientific literature publications describing these studies are linked in the article.
https://virology.ws/2016/04/05/structure-of-zika-virus/
First, here is a way to find Scientific Publications on Research done elucidating the Structure of SarsCov2.
Here is how you can do it :
Search “Structure SarsCov2”
at Pubmed.like this:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Structure+SarsCov2
Right now, I find in the list of results:
5
Cite Share
Molecular Architecture of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus.
Yao H, Song Y, Chen Y, Wu N, Xu J, Sun C, Zhang J, Weng T, Zhang Z, Wu Z, Cheng L, Shi D, Lu X, Lei J, Crispin M, Shi Y, Li L, Li S.
Cell. 2020 Oct 29;183(3):730-738.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.018. Epub 2020 Sep 6.
PMID: 32979942 Free PMC article.
SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite recent advances in the structural elucidation of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, the detailed architecture of the intact virus remains to be unveiled. Here we report the molecular assembly of the authenti …
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32979942/
Here we report the molecular assembly of the authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus using cryoelectron tomography (cryo-ET) and subtomogram averaging (STA). Native structures of the S proteins in pre- and postfusion conformations were determined to average resolutions of 8.7-11 Å.
Furthermore, here is a report on the Crystal Structure of the NSP13 protein of SarsCov2.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34381037/
Nature
. 2020 Dec;588(7838):498-502. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2665-2. Epub 2020 Aug 17.
Structures and distributions of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins on intact virions
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32805734/
SARS-CoV-2 structure and replication characterized by in situ cryo-electron tomography
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33208793/
the structure of extracellular virions close to their native state by in situ cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging. We directly visualize RNA filaments inside the double membrane vesicles, compartments associated with viral replication. The RNA filaments show a diameter consistent with double-stranded RNA and frequent branching likely representing RNA secondary structures.
We report that assembled S trimers in lumenal cisternae do not alone induce membrane bending but laterally reorganize on the envelope during virion assembly. The viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs) are accumulated at the curved membrane characteristic for budding sites suggesting that vRNP recruitment is enhanced by membrane curvature. Subtomogram averaging shows that vRNPs are distinct cylindrical assemblies. We propose that the genome is packaged around multiple separate vRNP complexes, thereby allowing incorporation of the unusually large coronavirus genome into the virion while maintaining high steric flexibility between the vRNPs.
As you can see, this is a complex analysis and field. Just try to comprehend how they are making observations, conclusions and suggestions regarding the structural assembly of visions in the replication process. This Biochemistry is not simple.