Structural basis for assembly of vertical single β-barrel viruses

The vertical double β-barrel major capsid protein (MCP) fold, fingerprint of the PRD1-adeno viral lineage, is widespread in many viruses infecting organisms across the three domains of life. The discovery of PRD1-like viruses with two MCPs challenged the known assembly principles. Here, we present the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the archaeal, halophilic, internal membrane-containing Haloarcula californiae icosahedral virus 1 (HCIV-1) and Haloarcula hispanica icosahedral virus 2 (HHIV-2) at 3.7 and 3.8 Å resolution, respectively. Our structures reveal proteins located beneath the morphologically distinct two- and three-tower capsomers and homopentameric membrane proteins at the vertices that orchestrate the positioning of pre-formed vertical single β-barrel MCP heterodimers. The cryo-EM based structures together with the proteomics data provide insights into the assembly mechanism of this type of viruses and into those with membrane-less double β-barrel MCPs.