Cielens I, Ose V, Petrovskis I, Strelnikova A, Renhofa R, Kozlovska T, Pumpens P. Mutilation of RNA phage Qbeta virus-like particles: from icosahedrons to rods.
FEBS Lett 2000;
482:261-4. [PMID:
11024472 DOI:
10.1016/s0014-5793(00)02061-5]
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Abstract
Icosahedral virus-like particles (VLPs) of RNA phage Qbeta are stabilized by four disulfide bonds of cysteine residues 74 and 80 within the loop between beta-strands F and G (FG loop) of the monomeric subunits, which determine the five-fold and quasi-six-fold symmetry contacts of the VLPs. In order to reduce the stability of Qbeta VLPs, we mutationally converted the amino acid stretch 76-ANGSCD-81 within the FG loop into the 76-VGGVEL-81 sequence. It led to production in Escherichia coli cells of aberrant rod-like Qbeta VLPs, along with normal icosahedral capsids. The length of the rod-like particles exceeded 4-30 times the diameter of icosahedral Qbeta VLPs.
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