PMID: 18786545 , Related PDB id: 2VF9

Authors:

Persson M, Tars K, Liljas L

Title:

The capsid of the small RNA phage PRR1 is stabilized by metal ions.

Journal:

J Mol Biol. 2008 Nov 21;383(4):914-22. Epub 2008 Aug 29.

Abstract:

Many nonenveloped virus particles are stabilized by calcium ions bound in the interfaces between the protein subunits. These ions may have a role in the disassembly process. The small RNA phages of the Leviviridae family have T=3 quasi-symmetry and are unique among simple viruses in that they have a coat protein with a translational repressor activity and a fold that has not been observed in other viruses. The crystal structure of phage PRR1 has been determined to 3.5 A resolution. The structure shows a tentative binding site for a calcium ion close to the quasi-3-fold axis. The RNA-binding surface used for repressor activity is mostly conserved. The structure does not show any significant differences between quasi-equivalent subunits, which suggests that the assembly is not controlled by conformational switches as in many other simple viruses.