Crystallographic study of the core of blue tongue virus

Journal article

The structure of the core of bluetongue virus has been determined to 3,5 Å resolution by x-ray crystallography. Solving such a structure composed of 1 000 proteins is a challenge. It necessitates close collaborations between crystallographers, virologists and electron microscopists. The core is made of a proteinic capsid, 700 Å in diameter, enclosing a double-stranded RNA genome and a set of proteins required for transcription. The crystallographic structure reveals how the proteins of the capsid self-assemble, to form 2 layers whose subunits are arranged on different quasi-equivalent lattices. Tubes of electron density are observed below this envelope, which can be assigned to the RNA genome.

Authors: Gouet, P; Zientara, S; Grimes, J; Diprose, J; Malby, R

• Journal: Virologie
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 201-206
• Publication date: 1999-05-01
• ISSN: 1267-8694
• Language: French
• Keywords: Bluetongue virus; Crystallographic structure; Double-stranded RNA; Core