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What determines the shape of a virus capsid?

What determines the shape of a virus capsid?

What determines the shape of the capsid, or core? Structure: The order of the individual proteins, and if they are symmetrical determine the the shape.

What is a capsid and its function?

The capsid has three functions: 1) it protects the nucleic acid from digestion by enzymes, 2) contains special sites on its surface that allow the virion to attach to a host cell, and 3) provides proteins that enable the virion to penetrate the host cell membrane and, in some cases, to inject the infectious nucleic …

How are capsids formed?

Capsid formation occurs via a nucleation process driven by the favorable binding energy between capsid proteins (Zandi et al., 2006). At the right assembly conditions, thermal fluctuations induce the formation of small partial shells that tend to redissolve unless they reach a minimum critical size.

What are capsids made of?

The capsid surrounds the virus and is composed of a finite number of protein subunits known as capsomeres, which usually associate with, or are found close to, the virion nucleic acid.

Where is the capsid on a virus?

The protein capsid provides the second major criterion for the classification of viruses. The capsid surrounds the virus and is composed of a finite number of protein subunits known as capsomeres, which usually associate with, or are found close to, the virion nucleic acid.

What viruses have a capsid?

The most widely used viral capsids include the protein cage of the cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV), and MS2 bacteriophage.

Is a soccer ball symmetrical?

A soccer ball, a common example of a spherical truncated icosahedron, has full icosahedral symmetry.

How head tail viruses capsids are hybrid between the filamentous and icosahedral shapes?

Filamentous – Filamentous capsids are named after their linear, thin, thread-like appearance. They may also be called rod-shaped or helical. Head-tail –These capsids are kind of a hybrid between the filamentous and icosahedral shapes. They basically consist of an icosahedral head attached to a filamentous tail.