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Journal of Virology, March 2001, p. 2810-2817, Vol. 75, No. 6
Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
Received 6 September 2000/Accepted 19 December 2000
A nucleic acid-bound capsid protein dimer was previously identified
using a Sindbis virus in vitro nucleocapsid assembly system and
cross-linking reagents. Cross-link mapping, in combination with a model
of the nucleocapsid core, suggested that this dimer contained one
monomer from each of two adjacent capsomeres. This intercapsomere dimer
is believed to be the initial intermediate in the nucleocapsid core
assembly mechanism. This paper presents the purification of
cross-linked dimers of a truncated capsid protein and the partial
purification of cross-linked dimers of a full-length assembly-defective
mutant. The assembly of core-like particles from these cross-linked
capsid protein dimers is demonstrated. Core-like particles generated
from cross-linked full-length mutant CP(19-264)L52D were examined by
electron microscopy and appeared to have a morphology similar to that
of wild-type in vitro-assembled core-like particles, although a slight
size difference was often visible. Truncated cross-linked CP(81-264)
dimers generated core-like particles as well. These core-like particles
could subsequently be disassembled when reversible cross-linking
reagents were used to form the dimers. The ability of the covalent
intercapsomere cross-link to rescue capsid proteins with assembly
defects or truncations in the amino-terminal region of the capsid
protein supports the previous model of assembly and suggests a possible role for the amino-terminal region of the protein.
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.6.2810-2817.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
In Vitro Assembly of Sindbis Virus Core-Like
Particles from Cross-Linked Dimers of Truncated and Mutant Capsid
Proteins
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Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Biological Sciences, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1392. Phone: (765) 494-1164. Fax: (765) 496-1189. E-mail: rjkuhn{at}bragg.bio.purdue.edu.
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