Protein Crystals in Adenovirus Type 5-Infected Cells
Author Information
Author(s): Franqueville Laure, Henning Petra, Magnusson Maria, Vigne Emmanuelle, Schoehn Guy, Blair-Zajdel Maria E., Habib Nagy, Lindholm Leif, Blair G. Eric, Hong Saw See, Boulanger Pierre
Primary Institution: Université Lyon I, Faculté de Médecine Laënnec, Laboratoire de Virologie et Pathologie Humaine, CNRS-FRE-3011, Lyon, France
Hypothesis
What are the requirements for intranuclear crystallogenesis in adenovirus-infected cells?
Conclusion
The study found that intranuclear protein crystals in adenovirus-infected cells are composed of penton capsomers and play a role in virion assembly.
Supporting Evidence
- The study demonstrated that the integrity of the fiber knob and part of the shaft domain is essential for crystal formation.
- Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that the monoclonal antibody TB5 reacted with the intranuclear protein crystals.
- Data indicated that the absence of crystalline inclusions correlated with lower infectivity and/or lower yields of virus progeny.
Takeaway
When adenoviruses infect cells, they can create tiny protein crystals inside the cell's nucleus, which help the virus put itself together.
Methodology
The study used immuno-electron microscopy and confocal microscopy to analyze cells infected with various adenovirus recombinants.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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