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A coarse-grained model of the expansion of the human rhinovirus 2 capsid reveals insights in genome release

Human rhinoviruses are causative agents of the common cold. In order to release their RNA genome into the host during a viral infection, these small viruses must undergo conformational changes in their capsids, whose detailed mechanism is strictly related to the process of RNA extrusion, which has b...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Indelicato, Giuliana, Cermelli, Paolo, Twarock, Reidun
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Royal Society 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6731498/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31409237
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2019.0044
Descripción
Sumario:Human rhinoviruses are causative agents of the common cold. In order to release their RNA genome into the host during a viral infection, these small viruses must undergo conformational changes in their capsids, whose detailed mechanism is strictly related to the process of RNA extrusion, which has been only partially elucidated. We study here a mathematical model for the structural transition between the native particle of human rhinovirus type 2 and its expanded form, viewing the process as an energy cascade, i.e. a sequence of metastable states with decreasing energy connected by minimum energy paths. We explore several transition pathways and discuss their implications for the RNA exit process.