Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
J. Virol., Feb 1995, 1093-1098, Vol 69, No. 2
M Klikova, SS Rhee, E Hunter and T Ruml
The capsid precursor protein (Gag) of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, the
prototype type D retrovirus, has been expressed to high levels in bacteria
under the control of the phage T7 promoter. Electron microscopic studies of
induced cells revealed the assembly of capsid- like structures within
inclusion bodies that formed at the poles of the cells 6 h after induction
with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The inclusion bodies
and enclosed capsid-like structures were solubilized completely in 8 M
urea, but following renaturation, we observed assembly in vitro of
capsid-like structures that demonstrated apparent icosahedral symmetry.
These results demonstrate for the first time that retroviral capsid
precursors have the propensity to self- assemble in vitro and point to new
approaches for the analysis of retroviral assembly and structure.
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology
Efficient in vivo and in vitro assembly of retroviral capsids from Gag precursor proteins expressed in bacteria
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Czech Republic.
This article has been cited by other articles:
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology. For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»