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Review
. 2012 Apr;2(2):115-21.
doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2011.12.008. Epub 2012 Jan 18.

Structure of human adenovirus

Glen R Nemerow  1 , Phoebe L Stewart, Vijay S Reddy
Affiliations
Review

Structure of human adenovirus

Glen R Nemerow et al. Curr Opin Virol. 2012 Apr.

Abstract

A detailed structural analysis of the entire human adenovirus capsid has been stymied by the complexity and size of this 150 MDa macromolecular complex. Over the past 10 years, the steady improvements in viral genome manipulation concomitant with advances in crystallographic techniques and data processing software has allowed structure determination of this virus by X-ray diffraction at 3.5 Å resolution. The virus structure revealed the location, folds, and interactions of major and minor (cement proteins) on the inner and outer capsid surface. This new structural information sheds further light on the process of adenovirus capsid assembly and virus-host cell interactions.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A. A schematic representation illustrating the arrangement of major capsid proteins (hexon and penton base) in the adenovirus capsid. The colored hexagons represent the 4 unique hexon trimers of the pseudo T=25 icosahedral lattice. Five-fold related penton base subunits shown in magenta are located at each of the 12 vertices of the capsid. B. Interaction of hypervariable (HVR) loops HVR4 and HVR6 that help stabilize the Ad capsid. These interactions result in the ordering of HVR4 loop, which was disordered in the isolated hexon structure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Fo-Fc difference density (colored red) revealed along the 5-fold axis that penetrates the pore formed by the 5-fold related penton base subunits. This density is suggested to correspond to the shaft region of the trimeric fiber molecule, although sidechain density is not clearly identifiable presumably because of the symmetry mismatch between the fiber and the 5-fold capsid vertex.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A. Model showing the extended structure of a PVIII molecule. Nearly 70 residues of VIII are ordered in one of the two independent molecules present in the adenovirus structure. B. Electron density corresponding to the inverted U shaped structure highlighted by the rectangle in panel A.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Interactions mediated by the protein VIII helix located between two hexon subunits. The VIII helix, shown in pink, helps to stabilize the N-termini of two hexon subunits through non-polar interactions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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