Visualization of Co-axially coiled dsDNA in bacteriophage T7 capsids by cryo-electron microscopy
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (United States); and others
The packaging of viral DNA into a pre-formed procapsid structure and its subsequent release from the mature virion during infection, constitutes one of the basic phenomena of the viral life-cycle which still remains to be understood. The DNA must package at a high density into the head to allow efficient utilization of the space available, overcome the mutual electrostatic repulsive forces between the strands, and be readily available for release upon infection. Cryo-electron microscopy has proven to be an invaluable tool for visualizing the internal organization of the packaged DNA inside viral capsids. We report on the effectiveness of this technique in examining the packaging of the {approximately} 40,000 bp double-stranded DNA genome inside the capsids of bacteriophage T7.
- OSTI ID:
- 468748
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960877-; TRN: 97:001308-0002
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Microscopy and microanalysis 1996, Minneapolis, MN (United States), 11-15 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Microscopy and microanalysis 1996; Bailey, G.W.; Corbett, J.M.; Dimlich, R.V.W.; Michael, J.R.; Zaluzec, N.J. [eds.]; PB: 1107 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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