Phage assembly and the special role of the portal protein

Publication date: Available online 28 September 2018Source: Current Opinion in VirologyAuthor(s): Peter E Prevelige, Juliana R CortinesVirus infections are ultimately dependent on a successful viral genome delivery to the host cell. The bacteriophage family Caudovirales evolved specialized machinery that fulfills this function: the portal proteins complex. The complexes are arranged as dodecameric rings and are a structural part of capsids incorporated at a five-fold vertex. They are involved in crucial aspects of viral replication, such as virion assembly, DNA packaging and DNA delivery. This review focuses on the organization and the mechanism through which these portal complexes achieve viral genome delivery and their similarities to other viral portal complexes.

Source: Current Opinion in Virology - October 4, 2018 Category: Virology Source Type: research