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L-A virus at 3.4 Å resolution reveals particle architecture and mRNA decapping mechanism

Nature Structural Biology volume 9, pages 725–728 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

The structure of the yeast L-A virus was determined by X-ray crystallography at 3.4 Å resolution. The L-A dsRNA virus is 400 Å in diameter and contains a single protein shell of 60 asymmetric dimers of the coat protein, a feature common among the inner protein shells of dsRNA viruses and probably related to their unique mode of transcription and replication. The two identical subunits in each dimer are in non-equivalent environments and show substantially different conformations in specific surface regions. The L-A virus decaps cellular mRNA to efficiently translate its own uncapped mRNA. Our structure reveals a trench at the active site of the decapping reaction and suggests a role for nearby residues in the reaction.

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Figure 1: Structure of L-A virus particle.
Figure 2
Figure 3: A stereo view ribbon drawing of the side view of molecule A showing the trench accessible from the outside of the L-A particle.
Figure 4: A stereo view close-up of the trench showing residue His 154 and its neighboring residues around the active site.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Lin and G. Cingolani for their help in the data collection. Use of the Advanced Photon Source was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science. Use of the BioCARS Sector 14 was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources. The crystallographic studies were supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health to J.E.J.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 92037, California, USA

    Hisashi Naitow, Jinghua Tang, Mary Canady & John E. Johnson

  2. The Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-0830, Maryland, USA

    Reed B. Wickner

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  1. Hisashi Naitow
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  2. Jinghua Tang
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Correspondence to John E. Johnson.

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Naitow, H., Tang, J., Canady, M. et al. L-A virus at 3.4 Å resolution reveals particle architecture and mRNA decapping mechanism. Nat Struct Mol Biol 9, 725–728 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb844

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