STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS OF VIRUSES

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Viruses are parasitic organisms responsible for many diseases. A virus consists of a genome enclosed in a protein coat (capsid), often with a few other accessory molecules. Viral infection depends on the ability of a virion to maintain its stability, disassemble, or assemble depending on the infection stage; these steps are determined by interactions between the viral components, as well as by external factors. Thus, studying the dynamics of viral components is crucial for elucidation of the mechanisms of viral infections. Although a large number of viruses have been structurally resolved (see, e.g., [1]), a static structure does not reveal dynamical properties; also, the spatial and temporal resolution of real-time experiments (e.g. [2, 3]) is usually much lower than that required to distinguish the movements of individual viral proteins. In this situation, MD studies are perfectly suited to complement experiments, as MD simulations are now capable of describing the dynamics of complete viruses at atomic resolution [4] (http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/STMV).