DNA poised for release in bacteriophage phi29

Atomic Force Microscopy of Viruses: Stability, Disassembly, and Genome Release

In atomic force microscopy (AFM), the probe is a nanometric tip located at the end of a microcantilever which palpates the specimen under study as a blind person manages a walking stick. In this way, AFM allows obtaining nanometric resolution images of individual protein shells, such as viruses, in liquid milieu. Beyond imaging, AFM also enables not only the manipulation of single protein cages but also the evaluation of each physicochemical property which is able of inducing any measurable mechanical perturbation to the microcantilever that holds the tip. In this chapter, we start revising some recipes for adsorbing protein shells on surfaces and how the geometrical dilation of tips can affect to the AFM topographies. This work also deals with the abilities of AFM to monitor TGEV coronavirus under changing conditions of the liquid environment. Subsequently, we describe several AFM approaches to study cargo release, aging, and multilayered viruses with single indentation and fatigue assays. Finally, we comment on a combined AFM/fluorescence application to study the influence of crowding on GFP packed within individual P22 bacteriophage capsids.

Revolving hexameric ATPases as asymmetric motors to translocate double-stranded DNA genome along one strand

DsDNA translocation through nanoscale pores is generally accomplished by ATPase biomotors. The discovery of the revolving dsDNA translocation mechanism, as opposed to rotation, in bacteriophage phi29 elucidated how ATPase motors move dsDNA. Revolution-driven, hexameric dsDNA motors have been reported in herpesvirus, bacterial FtsK, Streptomyces TraB, and T7 phage. This review explores the common relationship between their structure and mechanisms. Commonalities include moving along the 5'→3' strand, inchworm sequential action leading to an asymmetrical structure, channel chirality, channel size, and 3-step channel gating for controlling motion direction. The revolving mechanism and contact with one of the dsDNA strands addresses the historic controversy of dsDNA packaging using nicked, gapped, hybrid, or chemically modified DNA. These controversies surrounding dsDNA packaging activity using modified materials can be answered by whether the modification was introduced into the 3'→5' or 5'→3' strand. Perspectives concerning solutions to the controversy of motor structure and stoichiometry are also discussed.

Revolving ATPase motors as asymmetrical hexamers in translocating lengthy dsDNA via conformational changes and electrostatic interactions in phi29, T7, herpesvirus, mimivirus, E. coli, and Streptomyces

Investigations of the parallel architectures of biomotors in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems suggest a similar revolving mechanism in the use of ATP to drive translocation of the lengthy double-stranded (ds)DNA genomes. This mechanism is exemplified by the dsDNA packaging motor of bacteriophage phi29 that operates through revolving but not rotating dsDNA to "Push through a one-way valve". This unique and novel revolving mechanism discovered in phi29 DNA packaging motor was recently reported in other systems including the dsDNA packaging motor of herpesvirus, the dsDNA ejecting motor of bacteriophage T7, the plasmid conjugation machine TraB in Streptomyces, the dsDNA translocase FtsK of gram-negative bacteria, and the genome-packaging motor in mimivirus. These motors exhibit an asymmetrical hexameric structure for transporting the genome via an inch-worm sequential action. This review intends to delineate the revolving mechanism from a perspective of conformational changes and electrostatic interactions. In phi29, the positively charged residues Arg-Lys-Arg in the N-terminus of the connector bind the negatively charged interlocking domain of pRNA. ATP binding to an ATPase subunit induces the closed conformation of the ATPase. The ATPase associates with an adjacent subunit to form a dimer facilitated by the positively charged arginine finger. The ATP-binding induces a positive charging on its DNA binding surface via an allostery mechanism and thus the higher affinity for the negatively charged dsDNA. ATP hydrolysis induces an expanded conformation of the ATPase with a lower affinity for dsDNA due to the change of the surface charge, but the (ADP+Pi)-bound subunit in the dimer undergoes a conformational change that repels dsDNA. The positively charged lysine rings of the connector attract dsDNA stepwise and periodically to keep its revolving motion along the channel wall, thus maintaining the one-way translocation of dsDNA without reversal and sliding out. The finding of the presence of the asymmetrical hexameric architectures of many ATPases that use the revolving mechanism may provide insights into the understanding of translocation of the gigantic genomes including chromosomes in complicated systems without coiling and tangling to speed up dsDNA translocation and save energy.

The PLB measurement for the connector in Phi29 bacteriophage reveals the function of its channel loop

The connector protein, also known as the portal protein, located at the portal vertex in the Phi29 bacteriophage has been found to play a key role in the genome DNA packaging motor. There is a disordered region, composed of 12 sets of 18-residue loops N229-N246, that has been assumed to serve as a "clamp" to retain the DNA within the pressurized capsid when DNA is fully packaged. However, the process remains undefined about how the clamping of DNA occurs and what signal is used to engage the channel loops to clamp the DNA near the end of DNA packaging. In this study, we use the planar lipid bilayer (PLB) membrane technique to study the connector with its loops cleaved. The channel properties are compared with those of the connector with corresponding wild-type loops at different membrane potentials. On the basis of the hypothesis of the Donnan effects in the flashing Brownian ratchet model, we associate the PLB experimental results with the outcomes from the relevant biochemical experiments on the proheads containing the connectors without the loops, which enables us to provide a clear picture about how the DNA clamping occurs. A mathematical relationship between the Donnan potential and the DNA packaging density is established, demonstrating that they are both in essence the same signal that is received and transmitted by the connector to dictate DNA clamping and the termination of DNA packaging. At the end of the study, the PLB technique is proposed as a viral research tool, and its potential use to study the functions of specific domains in a portal protein of the tailed bacteriophages is highlighted.

Effects of Model Shape, Volume, and Softness of the Capsid for DNA Packaging of phi29

Double-stranded DNA is under extreme confinement when packed in phage phi29 with osmotic pressures approaching 60 atm and densities near liquid crystalline. The shape of the capsid determined from experiment is elongated. We consider the effects of the capsid shape and volume on the DNA distribution. We propose simple models for the capsid of phage phi29 to capture volume, shape, and wall flexibility, leading to an accurate DNA density profile. The effect of the packaging motor twisting the DNA on the resulting density distribution has been explored. We find packing motor induced twisting leads to a greater numbers of defects formed. The emergence of defects such as bubbles or large roll angles along the DNA shows a sequence dependence, and the resulting flexibility leads to an inhomogeneous distribution of defects occurring more often at TpA steps and AT-rich regions. In conjunction with capsid elongation, this has effects on the global DNA packing structures.

Single-particle virology

The development of advanced experimental methodologies, such as optical tweezers, scanning-probe and super-resolved optical microscopies, has led to the evolution of single-molecule biophysics, a field of science that allows direct access to the mechanistic detail of biomolecular structure and function. The extension of single-molecule methods to the investigation of particles such as viruses permits unprecedented insights into the behavior of supramolecular assemblies. Here we address the scope of viral exploration at the level of individual particles. In an era of increased awareness towards virology, single-particle approaches are expected to facilitate the in-depth understanding, and hence combating, of viral diseases.

Phage G Structure at 6.1 Å Resolution, Condensed DNA, and Host Identity Revision to a Lysinibacillus

Phage G has the largest capsid and genome of any known propagated phage. Many aspects of its structure, assembly, and replication have not been elucidated. Herein, we present the dsDNA-packed and empty phage G capsid at 6.1 and 9 Å resolution, respectively, using cryo-EM for structure determination and mass spectrometry for protein identification. The major capsid protein, gp27, is identified and found to share the HK97-fold universally conserved in all previously solved dsDNA phages. Trimers of the decoration protein, gp26, sit on the 3-fold axes and are thought to enhance the interactions of the hexameric capsomeres of gp27, for other phages encoding decoration proteins. Phage G's decoration protein is longer than what has been reported in other phages, and we suspect the extra interaction surface area helps stabilize the capsid. We identified several additional capsid proteins, including a candidate for the prohead protease responsible for processing gp27. Furthermore, cryo-EM reveals a range of partially full, condensed DNA densities that appear to have no contact with capsid shell. Three analyses confirm that the phage G host is a Lysinibacillus, and not Bacillus megaterium: identity of host proteins in our mass spectrometry analyses, genome sequence of the phage G host, and host range of phage G.

Ecology, Structure, and Evolution of Shigella Phages

Numerous bacteriophages-viruses of bacteria, also known as phages-have been described for hundreds of bacterial species. The Gram-negative Shigella species are close relatives of Escherichia coli, yet relatively few previously described phages appear to exclusively infect this genus. Recent efforts to isolate Shigella phages have indicated these viruses are surprisingly abundant in the environment and have distinct genomic and structural properties. In addition, at least one model system used for experimental evolution studies has revealed a unique mechanism for developing faster infection cycles. Differences between these bacteriophages and other well-described model systems may mirror differences between their hosts' ecology and defense mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the history of Shigella phages and recent developments in their isolation and characterization and the structural information available for three model systems, Sf6, Sf14, and HRP29; we also provide an overview of potential selective pressures guiding both Shigella phage and host evolution.

Structure and the role of filling rate on model dsDNA packed in a phage capsid

The conformation of DNA inside bacteriophages is of paramount importance for understanding packaging and ejection mechanisms. Models describing the structure of the confined macromolecule have depicted highly ordered conformations, such as spooled or toroidal arrangements that focus on reproducing experimental results obtained by averaging over thousands of configurations. However, it has been seen that more disordered states, including DNA kinking and the presence of domains with different DNA orientation can also accurately reproduce many of the structural experiments. In this work we have compared the results obtained through different simulated filling rates. We find a rate dependence for the resulting constrained states showing different anisotropic configurations. We present a quantitative analysis of the density distribution and the DNA orientation across the capsid showing excellent agreement with structural experiments. Second, we have analyzed the correlations within the capsid, finding evidence of the presence of domains characterized by aligned segments of DNA characterized by the structure factor. Finally, we have measured the number and distribution of DNA defects such as the emergence of bubbles and kinks as function of the filling rate. We find the slower the rate the fewer kink defects that appear and they would be unlikely at experimental filling rates with our model parameters. DNA domains of various orientation get larger with slower rates.

ATP/ADP modulates gp16-pRNA conformational change in the Phi29 DNA packaging motor

Packaging of phage phi29 genome requires the ATPase gp16 and prohead RNA (pRNA). The highly conserved pRNA forms the interface between the connector complex and gp16. Understanding how pRNA interacts with gp16 under packaging conditions can shed light on the molecular mechanism of the packaging motor. Here, we present 3D models of the pRNA–gp16 complex and its conformation change in response to ATP or ADP binding. Using a combination of crystallography, small angle X-ray scattering and chemical probing, we find that the pRNA and gp16 forms a ‘Z’-shaped complex, with gp16 specifically binds to pRNA domain II. The whole complex closes in the presence of ATP, and pRNA domain II rotates open as ATP hydrolyzes, before resetting after ADP is released. Our results suggest that pRNA domain II actively participates in the packaging process.

Structural assembly of the tailed bacteriophage ϕ29

The mature virion of the tailed bacteriophage ϕ29 is an ~33 MDa complex that contains more than 450 subunits of seven structural proteins assembling into a prolate head and a short non-contractile tail. Here, we report the near-atomic structures of the ϕ29 pre-genome packaging head (prohead), the mature virion and the genome-emptied virion. Structural comparisons suggest local rotation or oscillation of the head-tail connector upon DNA packaging and release. Termination of the DNA packaging occurs through pressure-dependent correlative positional and conformational changes in the connector. The funnel-shaped tail lower collar attaches the expanded narrow end of the connector and has a 180-Å long, 24-strand β barrel narrow stem tube that undergoes conformational changes upon genome release. The appendages form an interlocked assembly attaching the tail around the collar. The membrane active long loops at the distal end of the tail knob exit during the late stage of infection and form the cone-shaped tip of a largely hydrophobic helix barrel, prepared for membrane penetration.

Mature particles of bacteriophage ϕ29 consist of a 33-MDa complex formed by over 450 subunits, assembled into a head and a short tail. Here, Xu et al. report the near-atomic structures of the ϕ29 prohead, the mature virion and the genome-emptied virion, providing insights into DNA packaging and release.

Cryo-EM structures of herpes simplex virus type 1 portal vertex and packaged genome

Herpesviruses are enveloped viruses prevalent in the human population, responsible for a host of pathologies ranging from cold sores to birth defects and cancers. They are characterized by a highly pressurized, T (triangulation number) = 16 pseudo-icosahedral capsid encapsidating a tightly packed dsDNA genome^1–3. A key process in the herpesvirus life cycle involves the recruitment of an ATP-driven terminase to a unique portal vertex to recognize, package, and cleave concatemeric dsDNA, ultimately giving rise to a pressurized, genome-containing virion^4,5. Though this process has been studied in dsDNA phages^6–9—with which herpesviruses bear some similarities—a lack of high-resolution in situ structures of genome-packaging machinery has prevented the elucidation of how these multi-step reactions, which require close coordination among multiple actors, occur in an integrated environment. Thus, to better define the structural basis of genome packaging and organization in the prototypical herpesvirus, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), we developed sequential localized classification and symmetry relaxation methods to process cryoEM images of HSV-1 virions, enabling us to decouple and reconstruct hetero-symmetric and asymmetric elements within the pseudo-icosahedral capsid. Here we show in situ structures of the unique portal vertex, genomic termini, and ordered dsDNA coils in the capsid spooled around a disordered dsDNA core. We identify tentacle-like helices and a globular complex capping the portal vertex not observed in phages, indicative of adaptations in the DNA-packaging process specific to herpesviruses. Finally, our atomic models of portal vertex elements reveal how the five-fold-related capsid accommodates symmetry mismatch imparted by the dodecameric portal—long a mystery in icosahedral viruses—and inform possible DNA sequence-recognition and headful-sensing pathways involved in genome packaging. Our work represents the first fully symmetry-resolved structure of a portal vertex and first atomic model of a portal complex in a eukaryotic virus.

Structure of the herpes simplex virus portal-vertex

Herpesviruses include many important human pathogens such as herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, varicella-zoster virus, and the oncogenic Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Herpes virions contain a large icosahedral capsid that has a portal at a unique 5-fold vertex, similar to that seen in the tailed bacteriophages. The portal is a molecular motor through which the viral genome enters the capsid during virion morphogenesis. The genome also exits the capsid through the portal-vertex when it is injected through the nuclear pore into the nucleus of a new host cell to initiate infection. Structural investigations of the herpesvirus portal-vertex have proven challenging, owing to the small size of the tail-like portal-vertex-associated tegument (PVAT) and the presence of the tegument layer that lays between the nucleocapsid and the viral envelope, obscuring the view of the portal-vertex. Here, we show the structure of the herpes simplex virus portal-vertex at subnanometer resolution, solved by electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) and single-particle 3D reconstruction. This led to a number of new discoveries, including the presence of two previously unknown portal-associated structures that occupy the sites normally taken by the penton and the Ta triplex. Our data revealed that the PVAT is composed of 10 copies of the C-terminal domain of pUL25, which are uniquely arranged as two tiers of star-shaped density. Our 3D reconstruction of the portal-vertex also shows that one end of the viral genome extends outside the portal in the manner described for some bacteriophages but not previously seen in any eukaryote viruses. Finally, we show that the viral genome is consistently packed in a highly ordered left-handed spool to form concentric shells of DNA. Our data provide new insights into the structure of a molecular machine critical to the biology of an important class of human pathogens.

Breaking Symmetry in Viral Icosahedral Capsids as Seen through the Lenses of X-ray Crystallography and Cryo-Electron Microscopy

The majority of viruses on Earth form capsids built by multiple copies of one or more types of a coat protein arranged with 532 symmetry, generating an icosahedral shell. This highly repetitive structure is ideal to closely pack identical protein subunits and to enclose the nucleic acid genomes. However, the icosahedral capsid is not merely a passive cage but undergoes dynamic events to promote packaging, maturation and the transfer of the viral genome into the host. These essential processes are often mediated by proteinaceous complexes that interrupt the shell’s icosahedral symmetry, providing a gateway through the capsid. In this review, we take an inventory of molecular structures observed either internally, or at the 5-fold vertices of icosahedral DNA viruses that infect bacteria, archea and eukaryotes. Taking advantage of the recent revolution in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and building upon a wealth of crystallographic structures of individual components, we review the design principles of non-icosahedral structural components that interrupt icosahedral symmetry and discuss how these macromolecules play vital roles in genome packaging, ejection and host receptor-binding.

The Bacteriophage Head-to-Tail Interface

Many icosahedral viruses use a specialized portal vertex for genome encapsidation in the viral capsid (or head). This structure then controls release of the viral genetic information to the host cell at the beginning of infection. In tailed bacteriophages, the portal system is connected to a tail device that delivers their genome to the bacterial cytoplasm. The head-to-tail interface is a multiprotein complex that locks the viral DNA inside the phage capsid correctly positioned for egress and that controls its ejection when the viral particle interacts with the host cell receptor. Here we review the molecular mechanisms how this interface is assembled and how it carries out those two critical steps in the life cycle of tailed phages.

Electron Cryomicroscopy of Viruses at Near-Atomic Resolutions

Recently, dozens of virus structures have been solved to resolutions between 2.5 and 5.0 Å by means of electron cryomicroscopy. With these structures we are now firmly within the "atomic age" of electron cryomicroscopy, as these studies can reveal atomic details of protein and nucleic acid topology and interactions between specific residues. This improvement in resolution has been the result of direct electron detectors and image processing advances. Although enforcing symmetry facilitates reaching near-atomic resolution with fewer particle images, it unfortunately obscures some biologically interesting components of a virus. New approaches on relaxing symmetry and exploring structure dynamics and heterogeneity of viral assemblies have revealed important insights into genome packaging, virion assembly, cell entry, and other stages of the viral life cycle. In the future, novel methods will be required to reveal yet-unknown structural conformations of viruses, relevant to their biological activities. Ultimately, these results hold the promise of answering many unresolved questions linking structural diversity of viruses to their biological functions.

Forces from the Portal Govern the Late-Stage DNA Transport in a Viral DNA Packaging Nanomotor

In the Phi29 bacteriophage, the DNA packaging nanomotor packs its double-stranded DNA genome into the virus capsid. At the late stage of DNA packaging, the negatively charged genome is increasingly compacted at a higher density in the capsid with a higher internal pressure. During the process, two Donnan effects, osmotic pressure and Donnan equilibrium potentials, are significantly amplified, which, in turn, affect the channel activity of the portal protein, GP10, embedded in the semipermeable capsid shell. In the research, planar lipid bilayer experiments were used to study the channel activities of the viral protein. The Donnan effect on the conformational changes of the viral protein was discovered, indicating GP10 may not be a static channel at the late stage of DNA packaging. Due to the conformational changes, GP10 may generate electrostatic forces that govern the DNA transport. For the section of the genome DNA that remains outside of the connector channel, a strong repulsive force from the viral protein would be generated against the DNA entry; however, for the section of the genome DNA within the channel, the portal protein would become a Brownian motor, which adopts the flash Brownian ratchet mechanism to pump the DNA against the increasingly built-up internal pressure (up to 20 atm) in the capsid. Therefore, the DNA transport in the nanoscale viral channel at the late stage of DNA packaging could be a consequence of Brownian movement of the genomic DNA, which would be rectified and harnessed by the forces from the interior wall of the viral channel under the influence of the Donnan effect.

Phage-like packing structures with mean field sequence dependence

Packing of double-stranded DNA in phages must overcome both electrostatic repulsions and the problem of persistence length. We consider coarse-grained models with the ability to kink and with randomly generated disorder. We show that the introduction of kinking into configurations of the DNA polymer packaged within spherical confinement results in significant reductions of the overall energies and pressures. We use a kink model which has the ability to deform every 24 bp, close to the average length predicted from phage sequence. The introduction of such persistence length defects even with highly random packing models increases the local nematic ordering of the packed DNA polymer segments. Such local ordering allowed by kinking not only reduces the total bending energy of confined DNA due to nonlinear elasticity but also reduces the electrostatic component of the energy and pressure. We show that a broad ensemble of polymer configurations is consistent with the structural data. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ultrastructural analysis of bacteriophage Φ29 during infection of Bacillus subtilis

Recent advances in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) have allowed direct visualization of the initial interactions between bacteriophages and their hosts. Previous studies focused on phage infection in Gram-negative bacteria but it is of particular interest how phages penetrate the thick, highly cross-linked Gram-positive cell wall. Here we detail structural intermediates of phage Φ29 during infection of Bacillus subtilis. Use of a minicell-producing strain facilitated in situ tomographic reconstructions of infecting phage particles. Φ29 initially contacts the cell wall at an angle through a subset of the twelve appendages, which are attached to the collar at the head proximal portion of the tail knob. The appendages are flexible and switch between extended and downward conformations during this stage of reversible adsorption; appendages enzymatically hydrolyze wall teichoic acids to bring the phage closer to the cell. A cell wall-degrading enzyme at the distal tip of the tail knob locally digests peptidoglycan, facilitating penetration of the tail further into the cell wall, and the phage particle reorients so that the tail becomes perpendicular to the cell surface. All twelve appendages attain the same "down" conformation during this stage of adsorption. Once the tail has become totally embedded in the cell wall, the tip can fuse with the cytoplasmic membrane. The membrane bulges out, presumably to facilitate genome ejection into the cytoplasm, and the deformation remains after complete ejection. This study provides the first visualization of the structural changes occurring in a phage particle during adsorption and genome transfer into a Gram-positive bacterium.

Prohead RNA: a noncoding viral RNA of novel structure and function

Prohead RNA (pRNA) is an essential component of the powerful Φ29-like bacteriophage DNA packaging motor. However, the specific role of this unique RNA in the Φ29 packaging motor remains unknown. This review examines pRNA as a noncoding RNA of novel structure and function. In order to highlight the reasons for exploring the structure and function of pRNA, we (1) provide an overview of Φ29-like bacteriophage and the Φ29 DNA packaging motor, including putative motor mechanisms and structures of its component parts; (2) discuss pRNA structure and possible roles for pRNA in the Φ29 packaging motor; (3) summarize pRNA self-assembly; and (4) describe the prospective therapeutic applications of pRNA. Many questions remain to be answered in order to connect what is currently known about pRNA structure to its novel function in the Φ29 packaging motor. The knowledge gained from studying the structure, function, and sequence variation in pRNA will help develop tools to better navigate the conformational landscapes of RNA. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:428-437. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1330 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

The bacteriophage ϕ29 tail possesses a pore-forming loop for cell membrane penetration

Most bacteriophages are tailed bacteriophages with an isometric or a prolate head attached to a long contractile, long non-contractile, or short non-contractile tail. The tail is a complex machine that plays a central role in host cell recognition and attachment, cell wall and membrane penetration, and viral genome ejection. The mechanisms involved in the penetration of the inner host cell membrane by bacteriophage tails are not well understood. Here we describe structural and functional studies of the bacteriophage ϕ29 tail knob protein gene product 9 (gp9). The 2.0 Å crystal structure of gp9 shows that six gp9 molecules form a hexameric tube structure with six flexible hydrophobic loops blocking one end of the tube before DNA ejection. Sequence and structural analyses suggest that the loops in the tube could be membrane active. Further biochemical assays and electron microscopy structural analyses show that the six hydrophobic loops in the tube exit upon DNA ejection and form a channel that spans the lipid bilayer of the membrane and allows the release of the bacteriophage genomic DNA, suggesting that cell membrane penetration involves a pore-forming mechanism similar to that of certain non-enveloped eukaryotic viruses. A search of other phage tail proteins identified similar hydrophobic loops, which indicates that a common mechanism might be used for membrane penetration by prokaryotic viruses. These findings suggest that although prokaryotic and eukaryotic viruses use apparently very different mechanisms for infection, they have evolved similar mechanisms for breaching the cell membrane.

DNA Scrunching in the Packaging of Viral Genomes

The motors that drive double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes into viral capsids are among the strongest of all biological motors for which forces have been measured, but it is not known how they generate force. We previously proposed that the DNA is not a passive substrate but that it plays an active role in force generation. This "scrunchworm hypothesis" holds that the motor proteins repeatedly dehydrate and rehydrate the DNA, which then undergoes cyclic shortening and lengthening motions. These are captured by a coupled protein-DNA grip-and-release cycle to rectify the motion and translocate the DNA into the capsid. In this study, we examined the interactions of dsDNA with the dodecameric connector protein of bacteriophage ϕ29, using molecular dynamics simulations on four different DNA sequences, starting from two different conformations (A-DNA and B-DNA). In all four simulations starting with the protein equilibrated with A-DNA in the channel, we observed transitions to a common, metastable, highly scrunched conformation, designated A*. This conformation is very similar to one recently reported by Kumar and Grubmüller in much longer MD simulations on B-DNA docked into the ϕ29 connector. These results are significant for four reasons. First, the scrunched conformations occur spontaneously, without requiring lever-like protein motions often believed to be necessary for DNA translocation. Second, the transition takes place within the connector, providing the location of the putative "dehydrator". Third, the protein has more contacts with one strand of the DNA than with the other; the former was identified in single-molecule laser tweezer experiments as the "load-bearing strand". Finally, the spontaneity of the DNA-protein interaction suggests that it may play a role in the initial docking of DNA in motors like that of T4 that can load and package any sequence.

Three-step channel conformational changes common to DNA packaging motors of bacterial viruses T3, T4, SPP1, and Phi29

The DNA packaging motor of dsDNA bacterial viruses contains a head-tail connector with a channel for the genome to enter during assembly and to exit during host infection. The DNA packaging motor of bacterial virus phi29 was recently reported to use the "One-way revolving" mechanism for DNA packaging. This raises a question of how dsDNA is ejected during infection if the channel acts as a one-way inward valve. Here we report a three step conformational change of the portal channel that is common among DNA translocation motors of bacterial viruses T3, T4, SPP1, and phi29. The channels of these motors exercise three discrete steps of gating, as revealed by electrophysiological assays. The data suggest that the three step channel conformational changes occur during DNA entry process, resulting in a structural transition in preparation for DNA movement in the reverse direction during ejection.

Biological Nanomotors with a Revolution, Linear, or Rotation Motion Mechanism

The ubiquitous biological nanomotors were classified into two categories in the past: linear and rotation motors. In 2013, a third type of biomotor, revolution without rotation (http://rnanano.osu.edu/movie.html), was discovered and found to be widespread among bacteria, eukaryotic viruses, and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophages. This review focuses on recent findings about various aspects of motors, including chirality, stoichiometry, channel size, entropy, conformational change, and energy usage rate, in a variety of well-studied motors, including FoF1 ATPase, helicases, viral dsDNA-packaging motors, bacterial chromosome translocases, myosin, kinesin, and dynein. In particular, dsDNA translocases are used to illustrate how these features relate to the motion mechanism and how nature elegantly evolved a revolution mechanism to avoid coiling and tangling during lengthy dsDNA genome transportation in cell division. Motor chirality and channel size are two factors that distinguish rotation motors from revolution motors. Rotation motors use right-handed channels to drive the right-handed dsDNA, similar to the way a nut drives the bolt with threads in same orientation; revolution motors use left-handed motor channels to revolve the right-handed dsDNA. Rotation motors use small channels (<2 nm in diameter) for the close contact of the channel wall with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or the 2-nm dsDNA bolt; revolution motors use larger channels (>3 nm) with room for the bolt to revolve. Binding and hydrolysis of ATP are linked to different conformational entropy changes in the motor that lead to altered affinity for the substrate and allow work to be done, for example, helicase unwinding of DNA or translocase directional movement of DNA.

Quantitative nanoscale electrostatics of viruses

Electrostatics is one of the fundamental driving forces of the interaction between biomolecules in solution. In particular, the recognition events between viruses and host cells are dominated by both specific and non-specific interactions and the electric charge of viral particles determines the electrostatic force component of the latter. Here we probe the charge of individual viruses in liquid milieu by measuring the electrostatic force between a viral particle and the Atomic Force Microscope tip. The force spectroscopy data of co-adsorbed ϕ29 bacteriophage proheads and mature virions, adenovirus and minute virus of mice capsids is utilized for obtaining the corresponding density of charge for each virus. The systematic differences of the density of charge between the viral particles are consistent with the theoretical predictions obtained from X-ray structural data. Our results show that the density of charge is a distinguishing characteristic of each virus, depending crucially on the nature of the viral capsid and the presence/absence of the genetic material.

Continuous allosteric regulation of a viral packaging motor by a sensor that detects the density and conformation of packaged DNA

We report evidence for an unconventional type of allosteric regulation of a biomotor. We show that the genome-packaging motor of phage ϕ29 is regulated by a sensor that detects the density and conformation of the DNA packaged inside the viral capsid, and slows the motor by a mechanism distinct from the effect of a direct load force on the motor. Specifically, we show that motor-ATP interactions are regulated by a signal that is propagated allosterically from inside the viral shell to the motor mounted on the outside. This signal continuously regulates the motor speed and pausing in response to changes in either density or conformation of the packaged DNA, and slows the motor before the buildup of large forces resisting DNA confinement. Analysis of motor slipping reveals that the force resisting packaging remains low (<1 pN) until ∼ 70% and then rises sharply to ∼ 23 pN at high filling, which is a several-fold lower value than was previously estimated under the assumption that force alone slows the motor. These findings are consistent with recent studies of the stepping kinetics of the motor. The allosteric regulatory mechanism we report allows double-stranded DNA viruses to achieve rapid, high-density packing of their genomes by limiting the buildup of nonequilibrium load forces on the motor.

An RNA Domain Imparts Specificity and Selectivity to a Viral DNA Packaging Motor

During assembly, double-stranded DNA viruses, including bacteriophages and herpesviruses, utilize a powerful molecular motor to package their genomic DNA into a preformed viral capsid. An integral component of the packaging motor in the Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage ϕ29 is a viral genome-encoded pentameric ring of RNA (prohead RNA [pRNA]). pRNA is a 174-base transcript comprised of two domains, domains I and II. Early studies initially isolated a 120-base form (domain I only) that retains high biological activity in vitro; hence, no function could be assigned to domain II. Here we define a role for this domain in the packaging process. DNA packaging using restriction digests of ϕ29 DNA showed that motors with the 174-base pRNA supported the correct polarity of DNA packaging, selectively packaging the DNA left end. In contrast, motors containing the 120-base pRNA had compromised specificity, packaging both left- and right-end fragments. The presence of domain II also provides selectivity in competition assays with genomes from related phages. Furthermore, motors with the 174-base pRNA were restrictive, in that they packaged only one DNA fragment into the head, whereas motors with the 120-base pRNA packaged several fragments into the head, indicating multiple initiation events. These results show that domain II imparts specificity and stringency to the motor during the packaging initiation events that precede DNA translocation. Heteromeric rings of pRNA demonstrated that one or two copies of domain II were sufficient to impart this selectivity/stringency. Although ϕ29 differs from other double-stranded DNA phages in having an RNA motor component, the function provided by pRNA is carried on the motor protein components in other phages.

IMPORTANCE

During virus assembly, genome packaging involves the delivery of newly synthesized viral nucleic acid into a protein shell. In the double-stranded DNA phages and herpesviruses, this is accomplished by a powerful molecular motor that translocates the viral DNA into a preformed viral shell. A key event in DNA packaging is recognition of the viral DNA among other nucleic acids in the host cell. Commonly, a DNA-binding protein mediates the interaction of viral DNA with the motor/head shell. Here we show that for the bacteriophage ϕ29, this essential step of genome recognition is mediated by a viral genome-encoded RNA rather than a protein. A domain of the prohead RNA (pRNA) imparts specificity and stringency to the motor by ensuring the correct orientation of DNA packaging and restricting initiation to a single event. Since this assembly step is unique to the virus, DNA packaging is a novel target for the development of antiviral drugs.

Twist-induced defects of the P-SSP7 genome revealed by modeling the cryo-EM density

We consider the consequences of assuming that DNA inside of phages can be approximated as a strongly nonlinear persistence length polymer. Recent cryo-EM experiments find a hole in the density map of P-SSP7 phage, located in the DNA segment filling the portal channel of the phage. We use experimentally derived structural constraints with coarse-grained simulation techniques to consider contrasting model interpretations of reconstructed density in the portal channel. The coarse-grained DNA models used are designed to capture the effects of torsional strain and electrostatic environment. Our simulation results are consistent with the interpretation that the vacancy or hole in the experimental density map is due to DNA strain leading to strand separation. We further demonstrate that a moderate negative twisting strain is able to account for the strand separation. This effect of nonlinear persistence length may be important in other aspects of phage DNA packing.

Common mechanisms of DNA translocation motors in bacteria and viruses using one-way revolution mechanism without rotation

Biomotors were once described into two categories: linear motor and rotation motor. Recently, a third type of biomotor with revolution mechanism without rotation has been discovered. By analogy, rotation resembles the Earth rotating on its axis in a complete cycle every 24h, while revolution resembles the Earth revolving around the Sun one circle per 365 days (see animations http://nanobio.uky.edu/movie.html). The action of revolution that enables a motor free of coiling and torque has solved many puzzles and debates that have occurred throughout the history of viral DNA packaging motor studies. It also settles the discrepancies concerning the structure, stoichiometry, and functioning of DNA translocation motors. This review uses bacteriophages Phi29, HK97, SPP1, P22, T4, and T7 as well as bacterial DNA translocase FtsK and SpoIIIE or the large eukaryotic dsDNA viruses such as mimivirus and vaccinia virus as examples to elucidate the puzzles. These motors use ATPase, some of which have been confirmed to be a hexamer, to revolve around the dsDNA sequentially. ATP binding induces conformational change and possibly an entropy alteration in ATPase to a high affinity toward dsDNA; but ATP hydrolysis triggers another entropic and conformational change in ATPase to a low affinity for DNA, by which dsDNA is pushed toward an adjacent ATPase subunit. The rotation and revolution mechanisms can be distinguished by the size of channel: the channels of rotation motors are equal to or smaller than 2 nm, that is the size of dsDNA, whereas channels of revolution motors are larger than 3 nm. Rotation motors use parallel threads to operate with a right-handed channel, while revolution motors use a left-handed channel to drive the right-handed DNA in an anti-chiral arrangement. Coordination of several vector factors in the same direction makes viral DNA-packaging motors unusually powerful and effective. Revolution mechanism that avoids DNA coiling in translocating the lengthy genomic dsDNA helix could be advantageous for cell replication such as bacterial binary fission and cell mitosis without the need for topoisomerase or helicase to consume additional energy.

DNA buckling in bacteriophage cavities as a mechanism to aid virus assembly

While relatively simple biologically, bacteriophages are sophisticated biochemical machines that execute a precise sequence of events during virus assembly, DNA packaging, and ejection. These stages of the viral life cycle require intricate coordination of viral components whose structures are being revealed by single molecule experiments and high resolution (cryo-electron microscopy) reconstructions. For example, during packaging, bacteriophages employ some of the strongest known molecular motors to package DNA against increasing pressure within the viral capsid shell. Located upstream of the motor is an elaborate portal system through which DNA is threaded. A high resolution reconstruction of the portal system for bacteriophage ϕ29 reveals that DNA buckles inside a small cavity under large compressive forces. In this study, we demonstrate that DNA can also buckle in other bacteriophages including T7 and P22. Using a computational rod model for DNA, we demonstrate that a DNA buckle can initiate and grow within the small confines of a cavity under biologically-attainable force levels. The forces of DNA-cavity contact and DNA-DNA electrostatic repulsion ultimately limit cavity filling. Despite conforming to very different cavity geometries, the buckled DNA within T7 and P22 exhibits near equal volumetric energy density (∼1kT/nm(3)) and energetic cost of packaging (∼22kT). We hypothesize that a DNA buckle creates large forces on the cavity interior to signal the conformational changes to end packaging. In addition, a DNA buckle may help retain the genome prior to tail assembly through significantly increased contact area with the portal.

Automated classification of tailed bacteriophages according to their neck organization

Background

The genetic diversity observed among bacteriophages remains a major obstacle for the identification of homologs and the comparison of their functional modules. In the structural module, although several classes of homologous proteins contributing to the head and tail structure can be detected, proteins of the head-to-tail connection (or neck) are generally more divergent. Yet, molecular analyses of a few tailed phages belonging to different morphological classes suggested that only a limited number of structural solutions are used in order to produce a functional virion. To challenge this hypothesis and analyze proteins diversity at the virion neck, we developed a specific computational strategy to cope with sequence divergence in phage proteins. We searched for homologs of a set of proteins encoded in the structural module using a phage learning database.

Results

We show that using a combination of iterative profile-profile comparison and gene context analyses, we can identify a set of head, neck and tail proteins in most tailed bacteriophages of our database. Classification of phages based on neck protein sequences delineates 4 Types corresponding to known morphological subfamilies. Further analysis of the most abundant Type 1 yields 10 Clusters characterized by consistent sets of head, neck and tail proteins. We developed Virfam, a webserver that automatically identifies proteins of the phage head-neck-tail module and assign phages to the most closely related cluster of phages. This server was tested against 624 new phages from the NCBI database. 93% of the tailed and unclassified phages could be assigned to our head-neck-tail based categories, thus highlighting the large representativeness of the identified virion architectures. Types and Clusters delineate consistent subgroups of Caudovirales, which correlate with several virion properties.

Conclusions

Our method and webserver have the capacity to automatically classify most tailed phages, detect their structural module, assign a function to a set of their head, neck and tail genes, provide their morphologic subtype and localize these phages within a “head-neck-tail” based classification. It should enable analysis of large sets of phage genomes. In particular, it should contribute to the classification of the abundant unknown viruses found on assembled contigs of metagenomic samples.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-1027) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Two classes of nucleic acid translocation motors: rotation and revolution without rotation

Biomotors are extensively involved in biological processes including cell mitosis, bacterial binary fission, DNA replication, DNA repair, homologous recombination, Holliday junction resolution, RNA transcription, and viral genome packaging. Traditionally, they were classified into two categories including linear and rotation motors. In 2013, a third class of motor by revolution mechanism without rotation was discovered. In this issue of “Structure and mechanisms of nanomotors in the cells”, four comprehensive reviews are published to address the latest advancements of the structure and motion mechanism of a variety of biomotors in archaea, animal viruses, bacteria, and bacteriophages.

Finding of widespread viral and bacterial revolution dsDNA translocation motors distinct from rotation motors by channel chirality and size

Background

Double-stranded DNA translocation is ubiquitous in living systems. Cell mitosis, bacterial binary fission, DNA replication or repair, homologous recombination, Holliday junction resolution, viral genome packaging and cell entry all involve biomotor-driven dsDNA translocation. Previously, biomotors have been primarily classified into linear and rotational motors. We recently discovered a third class of dsDNA translocation motors in Phi29 utilizing revolution mechanism without rotation. Analogically, the Earth rotates around its own axis every 24 hours, but revolves around the Sun every 365 days.

Results

Single-channel DNA translocation conductance assay combined with structure inspections of motor channels on bacteriophages P22, SPP1, HK97, T7, T4, Phi29, and other dsDNA translocation motors such as bacterial FtsK and eukaryotic mimiviruses or vaccinia viruses showed that revolution motor is widespread. The force generation mechanism for revolution motors is elucidated. Revolution motors can be differentiated from rotation motors by their channel size and chirality. Crystal structure inspection revealed that revolution motors commonly exhibit channel diameters larger than 3 nm, while rotation motors that rotate around one of the two separated DNA strands feature a diameter smaller than 2 nm. Phi29 revolution motor translocated double- and tetra-stranded DNA that occupied 32% and 64% of the narrowest channel cross-section, respectively, evidencing that revolution motors exhibit channel diameters significantly wider than the dsDNA. Left-handed oriented channels found in revolution motors drive the right-handed dsDNA via anti-chiral interaction, while right-handed channels observed in rotation motors drive the right-handed dsDNA via parallel threads. Tethering both the motor and the dsDNA distal-end of the revolution motor does not block DNA packaging, indicating that no rotation is required for motors of dsDNA phages, while a small-angle left-handed twist of dsDNA that is aligned with the channel could occur due to the conformational change of the phage motor channels from a left-handed configuration for DNA entry to a right-handed configuration for DNA ejection for host cell infection.

Conclusions

The revolution motor is widespread among biological systems, and can be distinguished from rotation motors by channel size and chirality. The revolution mechanism renders dsDNA void of coiling and torque during translocation of the lengthy helical chromosome, thus resulting in more efficient motor energy conversion.

Nonequilibrium dynamics and ultraslow relaxation of confined DNA during viral packaging

Many viruses use molecular motors that generate large forces to package DNA to near-crystalline densities inside preformed viral proheads. Besides being a key step in viral assembly, this process is of interest as a model for understanding the physics of charged polymers under tight 3D confinement. A large number of theoretical studies have modeled DNA packaging, and the nature of the molecular dynamics and the forces resisting the tight confinement is a subject of wide debate. Here, we directly measure the packaging of single DNA molecules in bacteriophage phi29 with optical tweezers. Using a new technique in which we stall the motor and restart it after increasing waiting periods, we show that the DNA undergoes nonequilibrium conformational dynamics during packaging. We show that the relaxation time of the confined DNA is >10 min, which is longer than the time to package the viral genome and 60,000 times longer than that of the unconfined DNA in solution. Thus, the confined DNA molecule becomes kinetically constrained on the timescale of packaging, exhibiting glassy dynamics, which slows the motor, causes significant heterogeneity in packaging rates of individual viruses, and explains the frequent pausing observed in DNA translocation. These results support several recent hypotheses proposed based on polymer dynamics simulations and show that packaging cannot be fully understood by quasistatic thermodynamic models.

Molecular architecture of tailed double-stranded DNA phages

The tailed double-stranded DNA bacteriophages, or Caudovirales, constitute ~96% of all the known phages. Although these phages come in a great variety of sizes and morphology, their virions are mainly constructed of similar molecular building blocks via similar assembly pathways. Here we review the structure of tailed double-stranded DNA bacteriophages at a molecular level, emphasizing the structural similarity and common evolutionary origin of proteins that constitute these virions.

Insights into the structure and assembly of the bacteriophage 29 double-stranded DNA packaging motor

The tailed double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophage 29 packages its 19.3-kbp genome into a preassembled procapsid structure by using a transiently assembled phage-encoded molecular motor. This process is remarkable considering that compaction of DNA to near-crystalline densities within the confined space of the capsid requires that the packaging motor work against significant entropic, enthalpic, and DNA-bending energies. The motor consists of three phage-encoded components: the dodecameric connector protein gp10, an oligomeric RNA molecule known as the prohead RNA (pRNA), and the homomeric ring ATPase gp16. Although atomic resolution structures of the connector and different pRNA subdomains have been determined, the mechanism of self-assembly and the resulting stoichiometry of the various motor components on the phage capsid have been the subject of considerable controversy. Here a subnanometer asymmetric cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) reconstruction of a connector-pRNA complex at a unique vertex of the procapsid conclusively demonstrates the pentameric symmetry of the pRNA and illuminates the relative arrangement of the connector and the pRNA. Additionally, a combination of biochemical and cryo-EM analyses of motor assembly intermediates suggests a sequence of molecular events that constitute the pathway by which the motor assembles on the head, thereby reconciling conflicting data regarding pRNA assembly and stoichiometry. Taken together, these data provide new insight into the assembly, structure, and mechanism of a complex molecular machine.

IMPORTANCE

Viruses consist of a protein shell, or capsid, that protects and surrounds their genetic material. Thus, genome encapsidation is a fundamental and essential step in the life cycle of any virus. In dsDNA viruses, powerful molecular motors essentially pump the viral DNA into a preformed protein shell. This article describes how a viral dsDNA packaging motor self-assembles on the viral capsid and provides insight into its mechanism of action.

Single particle cryo-electron microscopy and 3-D reconstruction of viruses

With fast progresses in instrumentation, image processing algorithms, and computational resources, single particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) 3-D reconstruction of icosahedral viruses has now reached near-atomic resolutions (3-4 Å). With comparable resolutions and more predictable outcomes, cryo-EM is now considered a preferred method over X-ray crystallography for determination of atomic structure of icosahedral viruses. At near-atomic resolutions, all-atom models or backbone models can be reliably built that allow residue level understanding of viral assembly and conformational changes among different stages of viral life cycle. With the developments of asymmetric reconstruction, it is now possible to visualize the complete structure of a complex virus with not only its icosahedral shell but also its multiple non-icosahedral structural features. In this chapter, we will describe single particle cryo-EM experimental and computational procedures for both near-atomic resolution reconstruction of icosahedral viruses and asymmetric reconstruction of viruses with both icosahedral and non-icosahedral structure components. Procedures for rigorous validation of the reconstructions and resolution evaluations using truly independent de novo initial models and refinements are also introduced.

Structural ensemble and dynamics of toroidal-like DNA shapes in bacteriophage ϕ29 exit cavity

In the bacteriophage ϕ29, DNA is packed into a preassembled capsid from which it ejects under high pressure. A recent cryo-EM reconstruction of ϕ29 revealed a compact toroidal DNA structure (30-40 basepairs) lodged within the exit cavity formed by the connector-lower collar protein complex. Using multiscale models, we compute a detailed structural ensemble of intriguing DNA toroids of various lengths, all highly compatible with experimental observations. In particular, coarse-grained (elastic rod) and atomistic (molecular dynamics) models predict the formation of DNA toroids under significant compression, a largely unexplored state of DNA. Model predictions confirm that a biologically attainable compressive force of 25 pN sustains the toroid and yields DNA electron density maps highly consistent with the experimental reconstruction. The subsequent simulation of dynamic toroid ejection reveals large reactions on the connector that may signal genome release.

Communication: Origin of the contributions to DNA structure in phages

Cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) data of the interior of phages show ordering of the interior DNA that has been interpreted as a nearly perfectly ordered polymer. We show surface-induced correlations, excluded volume, and electrostatic forces are sufficient to predict most of the major features of the current structural data for DNA packaged within viral capsids without additional ordering due to elastic bending forces for the polymer. Current models assume highly-ordered, even spooled, hexagonally packed conformations based on interpretation of cryo-EM density maps. We show herein that the surface induced packing of short (6mer), unconnected DNA polymer segments is the only necessary ingredient in creating ringed densities consistent with experimental density maps. This implies the ensemble of possible conformations of polymeric DNA within the capsid that are consistent with cryo-EM data may be much larger than implied by traditional interpretations where such rings can only result from highly-ordered spool-like conformations. This opens the possibility of a more disordered, entropically-driven view of phage packaging thermodynamics. We also show the electrostatics of the DNA contributes a large portion of the internal hydrostatic and osmotic pressures of a phage virion, suggesting that nonlinear elastic anomalies might reduce the overall elastic bending enthalpy of more disordered conformations to have allowable free energies.

Mapping in vitro local material properties of intact and disrupted virions at high resolution using multi-harmonic atomic force microscopy

Understanding the relationships between viral material properties (stiffness, strength, charge density, adhesion, hydration, viscosity, etc.), structure (protein sub-units, genome, surface receptors, appendages), and functions (self-assembly, stability, disassembly, infection) is of significant importance in physical virology and nanomedicine. Conventional Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) methods have measured a single physical property such as the stiffness of the entire virus from nano-indentation at a few points which severely limits the study of structure-property-function relationships. We present an in vitro dynamic AFM technique operating in the intermittent contact regime which synthesizes anharmonic Lorentz-force excited AFM cantilevers to map quantitatively at nanometer resolution the local electro-mechanical force gradient, adhesion, and hydration layer viscosity within individual φ29 virions. Furthermore, the changes in material properties over the entire φ29 virion provoked by the local disruption of its shell are studied, providing evidence of bacteriophage depressurization. The technique significantly generalizes recent multi-harmonic theory (A. Raman, et al., Nat. Nanotechnol., 2011, 6, 809-814) and enables high-resolution in vitro quantitative mapping of multiple material properties within weakly bonded viruses and nanoparticles with complex structure that otherwise cannot be observed using standard AFM techniques.

Visualization of uncorrelated, tandem symmetry mismatches in the internal genome packaging apparatus of bacteriophage T7

Motor-driven packaging of a dsDNA genome into a preformed protein capsid through a unique portal vertex is essential in the life cycle of a large number of dsDNA viruses. We have used single-particle electron cryomicroscopy to study the multilayer structure of the portal vertex of the bacteriophage T7 procapsid, the recipient of T7 DNA in packaging. A focused asymmetric reconstruction method was developed and applied to selectively resolve neighboring pairs of symmetry-mismatched layers of the portal vertex. However, structural features in all layers of the multilayer portal vertex could not be resolved simultaneously. Our results imply that layers with mismatched symmetries can join together in several different relative orientations, and that orientations at different interfaces assort independently to produce structural isomers, a process that we call combinatorial assembly isomerism. This isomerism explains rotational smearing in previously reported asymmetric reconstructions of the portal vertex of T7 and other bacteriophages. Combinatorial assembly isomerism may represent a new regime of structural biology in which globally varying structures assemble from a common set of components. Our reconstructions collectively validate previously proposed symmetries, compositions, and sequential order of T7 portal vertex layers, resolving in tandem the 5-fold gene product 10 (gp10) shell, 12-fold gp8 portal ring, and an internal core stack consisting of 12-fold gp14 adaptor ring, 8-fold bowl-shaped gp15, and 4-fold gp16 tip. We also found a small tilt of the core stack relative to the icosahedral fivefold axis and propose that this tilt assists DNA spooling without tangling during packaging.

Cryo-electron tomography of bacterial viruses

Bacteriophage particles contain both simple and complex macromolecular assemblages and machines that enable them to regulate the infection process under diverse environmental conditions with a broad range of bacterial hosts. Recent developments in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) make it possible to observe the interactions of bacteriophages with their host cells under native-state conditions at unprecedented resolution and in three-dimensions. This review describes the application of cryo-ET to studies of bacteriophage attachment, genome ejection, assembly and egress. Current topics of investigation and future directions in the field are also discussed.

Popping the cork: mechanisms of phage genome ejection

Sixty years after Hershey and Chase showed that nucleic acid is the major component of phage particles that is ejected into cells, we still do not fully understand how the process occurs. Advances in electron microscopy have revealed the structure of the condensed DNA confined in a phage capsid, and the mechanisms and energetics of packaging a phage genome are beginning to be better understood. Condensing DNA subjects it to high osmotic pressure, which has been suggested to provide the driving force for its ejection during infection. However, forces internal to a phage capsid cannot, alone, cause complete genome ejection into cells. Here, we describe the structure of the DNA inside mature phages and summarize the current models of genome ejection, both in vitro and in vivo.

Optical tweezers to study viruses

A virus is a complex molecular machine that propagates by channeling its genetic information from cell to cell. Unlike macroscopic engines, it operates in a nanoscopic world under continuous thermal agitation. Viruses have developed efficient passive and active strategies to pack and release nucleic acids. Some aspects of the dynamic behavior of viruses and their substrates can be studied using structural and biochemical techniques. Recently, physical techniques have been applied to dynamic studies of viruses in which their intrinsic mechanical activity can be measured directly. Optical tweezers are a technology that can be used to measure the force, torque and strain produced by molecular motors, as a function of time and at the single-molecule level. Thanks to this technique, some bacteriophages are now known to be powerful nanomachines; they exert force in the piconewton range and their motors work in a highly coordinated fashion for packaging the viral nucleic acid genome. Nucleic acids, whose elasticity and condensation behavior are inherently coupled to the viral packaging mechanisms, are also amenable to examination with optical tweezers. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive analysis of this laser-based tool, its combination with imaging methods and its application to the study of viruses and viral molecules.

Atomic force microscopy of viruses

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a helpful tool to acquire nanometric-resolution images, and also to perform a certain physical characterization of specimens, including their stiffness and mechanical resilience. Besides of the wide range of applications, from materials science to biology, this technique works in a variety of conditions as long as the sample is supported on a solid surface, in air, ultra high vacuum or, most importantly for virus research, in liquids. The adaptability of this technique is also fostered by the variety of sizes of the specimens that it can dealt with, such as atoms, molecules, molecular complexes including viruses and cells, and the possibility to observe dynamic processes in real time. Indeed, AFM facilitates single molecule experiments enabling not only to see but also to touch the material under study (i.e., to undertake mechanical manipulations), and constitutes a fundamental source of information for material characterization. In particular, the study of the mechanical properties at the nanoscale of viruses and other biomolecular aggregates, is providing an important set of data which help to elaborate mechano-chemical structure/function models of molecular biomachines, expanding and complementing the information obtained by other structural techniques.