Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA.
Intervirology. 2010;53(5):268-73. doi: 10.1159/000312911. Epub 2010 Jun 15.
Mimivirus, the prototypic member of the new family of Mimiviridae, is the largest virus known to date. Progress has been made recently in determining the three-dimensional structure of the 0.75-microm diameter virion using cryo-electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. These showed that the virus is composed of an outer layer of dense fibers surrounding an icosahedrally shaped capsid and an internal membrane sac enveloping the genomic material of the virus. Additionally, a unique starfish-like structure at one of the fivefold vertices, required by the virus for infecting its host, has been defined in more detail.
Mimivirus 是 Mimiviridae 科新家族的原型成员,是迄今为止已知的最大病毒。最近,使用冷冻电子显微镜和原子力显微镜确定了 0.75 微米直径病毒的三维结构,取得了进展。这些研究表明,该病毒由外层密集纤维环绕二十面体形状的衣壳和内部膜囊组成,包裹着病毒的基因组物质。此外,还更详细地定义了在五个五重顶点之一处的独特海星状结构,该结构是病毒感染其宿主所必需的。