Nonequilibrium self-assembly dynamics of icosahedral viral capsids packaging genome or polyelectrolyte

Maelenn Chevreuil, Didier Law-Hine, Jingzhi Chen, Stéphane Bressanelli, Sophie Combet, Doru Constantin, Jéril Degrouard, Johannes Möller, Mehdi Zeghal and Guillaume Tresset ()
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Maelenn Chevreuil: Université Paris-Saclay
Didier Law-Hine: Université Paris-Saclay
Jingzhi Chen: Université Paris-Saclay
Stéphane Bressanelli: Université Paris-Saclay
Sophie Combet: Université Paris-Saclay, CEA-Saclay
Doru Constantin: Université Paris-Saclay
Jéril Degrouard: Université Paris-Saclay
Johannes Möller: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
Mehdi Zeghal: Université Paris-Saclay
Guillaume Tresset: Université Paris-Saclay

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract The survival of viruses partly relies on their ability to self-assemble inside host cells. Although coarse-grained simulations have identified different pathways leading to assembled virions from their components, experimental evidence is severely lacking. Here, we use time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering to uncover the nonequilibrium self-assembly dynamics of icosahedral viral capsids packaging their full RNA genome. We reveal the formation of amorphous complexes via an en masse pathway and their relaxation into virions via a synchronous pathway. The binding energy of capsid subunits on the genome is moderate (~7kBT0, with kB the Boltzmann constant and T0 = 298 K, the room temperature), while the energy barrier separating the complexes and the virions is high (~ 20kBT0). A synthetic polyelectrolyte can lower this barrier so that filled capsids are formed in conditions where virions cannot build up. We propose a representation of the dynamics on a free energy landscape.

Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-018-05426-8

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05426-8

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