Computer graphics representation of levels of organization in tobacco mosaic virus structure

Science ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 227 (4688) ◽  
pp. 773-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Namba ◽  
D. Caspar ◽  
G. Stubbs
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Weis ◽  
Maximilian Beckers ◽  
Iris von der Hocht ◽  
Carsten Sachse

AbstractStable capsid structures of viruses protect viral RNA while they also require controlled disassembly for releasing the viral genome in the host cell. A detailed understanding of viral disassembly processes and the involved structural switches is still lacking. Biochemically, this process has been extensively studied using the tobacco mosaic virus model system and carboxylate interactions have been proposed to play a critical part in this process. Here, we present two cryo-EM structures of the helical TMV assembly at 2.1 and 2.0 Å resolution in conditions of high Ca2+concentration at low pH and in water. Based on our atomic models, we identified the conformational details of the disassembly switch mechanism: in high Ca2+/acidic pH environment the virion is stabilized between neighboring subunits through carboxyl groups E95 and E97 in close proximity to a Ca2+binding site. Upon increase in pH and lower Ca2+levels, mutual repulsion of the E95/E97 pair and Ca2+removal destabilize the network of interactions at lower radius and release the switch of virus disassembly. Our TMV structures revealed the conformational details for one of the reference systems of viral assembly/disassembly and provide the mechanistic explanation of a plethora of experimental results that were acquired over decades.Significance StatementTobacco mosaic virus presents the text-book example of virus structure and RNA release from a viral capsid through disassembly. Despite the wealth of structural and biochemical data on the assembly/disassembly properties generated from more than 80 years of research, the atomic-resolution structural details of the proposed conformational changes have not been resolved to date. The here determined high-resolution cryo-EM structures reveal the conformational details of the molecular disassembly switch. When the virus enters the cell, carboxylate repulsion and loss of calcium-ion coordination destabilize the switch region and can trigger RNA release through virus disassembly. The two determined structural states resolve a long-standing question on environment-driven virus disassembly switches.


Author(s):  
Irwin Bendet ◽  
Nabil Rizk

Preliminary results reported last year on the ion etching of tobacco mosaic virus indicated that the diameter of the virus decreased more rapidly at 10KV than at 5KV, perhaps reaching a constant value before disappearing completely.In order to follow the effects of ion etching on TMV more quantitatively we have designed and built a second apparatus (Fig. 1), which incorporates monitoring devices for measuring ion current and vacuum as well as accelerating voltage. In addition, the beam diameter has been increased to approximately 1 cm., so that ten electron microscope grids can be exposed to the beam simultaneously.


Author(s):  
Egbert W. Henry

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection has been studied in several investigations of Nicotiana tabacum leaf tissue. Earlier studies have suggested that TMV infection does not have precise infective selectivity vs. specific types of tissues. Also, such tissue conditions as vein banding, vein clearing, liquification and suberization may result from causes other than direct TMV infection. At the present time, it is thought that the plasmodesmata, ectodesmata and perhaps the plasmodesmata of the basal septum may represent the actual or more precise sites of TMV infection.TMV infection has been implicated in elevated levels of oxidative metabolism; also, TMV infection may have a major role in host resistance vs. concentration levels of phenolic-type enzymes. Therefore, enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase and phenylalamine ammonia-lyase may show an increase in activity in response to TMV infection. It has been reported that TMV infection may cause a decrease in o-dihydric phenols (chlorogenic acid) in some tissues.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madushani Dharmarwardana ◽  
André F. Martins ◽  
Zhuo Chen ◽  
Philip M. Palacios ◽  
Chance M. Nowak ◽  
...  

Superoxide overproduction is known to occur in multiple disease states requiring critical care yet non-invasive detection of superoxide in deep tissue remains a challenge. Herein, we report a metal-free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) active contrast agent prepared by “click conjugating” paramagnetic organic radical contrast agents (ORCAs) to the surface of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). While ORCAs are known to be reduced <i>in vivo</i> to an MRI/EPR silent state, their oxidation is facilitated specifically by reactive oxygen species—in particular superoxide—and are largely unaffected by peroxides and molecular oxygen. Unfortunately, single molecule ORCAs typically offer weak MRI contrast. In contrast, our data confirm that the macromolecular ORCA-TMV conjugates show marked enhancement for <i>T<sub>1</sub></i> contrast at low field (<3.0 T), and <i>T<sub>2</sub></i> contrast at high field (9.4 T). Additionally, we demonstrated that the unique topology of TMV allows for “quenchless fluorescent” bimodal probe for concurrent fluorescence and MRI/EPR imaging, which was made possible by exploiting the unique inner and outer surface of the TMV nanoparticle. <a>Finally, we show TMV-ORCAs do not respond to normal cellular respiration, minimizing the likelihood for background, yet still respond to enzymatically produced superoxide in complicated biological fluids like serum.</a>


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