Abstract
The picornavirus-like deformed wing virus (DWV) has been directly linked to colony collapse; however, little is known about the mechanisms of host attachment or entry for DWV or its molecular and structural details. Here we report the three-dimensional (3-D) structures of DWV capsids isolated from infected honey bees, including the immature procapsid, the genome-filled virion, the putative entry intermediate (A-particle), and the empty capsid that remains after genome release. The capsids are decorated by large spikes around the 5-fold vertices. The 5-fold spikes had an open flower-like conformation for the procapsid and genome-filled capsids, whereas the putative A-particle and empty capsids that had released the genome had a closed tube-like spike conformation. Between the two conformations, the spikes undergo a significant hinge-like movement that we predicted using a Robetta model of the structure comprising the spike. We conclude that the spike structures likely serve a function during host entry, changing conformation to release the genome, and that the genome may escape from a 5-fold vertex to initiate infection. Finally, the structures illustrate that, similarly to picornaviruses, DWV forms alternate particle conformations implicated in assembly, host attachment, and RNA release.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | e01795-16 |
Journal | Journal of virology |
Volume | 91 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2017 American Society for Microbiology.
Keywords
- 5-fold spikes
- 80S
- Conformation change
- DWV
- Deformed wing virus
- Honey bee
- Insect
- Life cycle
- Picornavirus
- Procapsid