Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, 18-242 Moos Tower, 515 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States.
Curr Opin Virol. 2019 Jun;36:32-37. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2019.03.002. Epub 2019 Apr 17.
During the assembly of dsDNA viruses such as the tailed bacteriophages and herpesviruses, the viral chromosome is compacted to near crystalline density inside a preformed head shell. DNA translocation is driven by powerful ring ATPase motors that couple ATP binding, hydrolysis, and release to force generation and movement. Studies of the motor of the bacteriophage phi29 have revealed a complex mechanochemistry behind this process that slows as the head fills. Recent studies of the physical behavior of packaging DNA suggest that surprisingly long-time scales of relaxation of DNA inside the head and jamming phenomena during packaging create the physical need for regulation of the rate of packaging. Studies of DNA packaging in viral systems have, therefore, revealed fundamental insight into the complex behavior of DNA and the need for biological systems to accommodate these physical constraints.
在 dsDNA 病毒（如长尾噬菌体和疱疹病毒）的组装过程中，病毒染色体在预先形成的头部壳内被压缩到近乎结晶密度。DNA 易位由强大的环 ATP 酶马达驱动，该马达将 ATP 结合、水解和释放与力的产生和运动偶联。对噬菌体 phi29 马达的研究揭示了这个过程背后复杂的机械化学，随着头部的填充，这个过程会减缓。最近对包装 DNA 物理行为的研究表明，令人惊讶的是，头部内 DNA 的弛豫和包装过程中的阻塞现象需要很长时间尺度，这为包装速度的调节创造了物理需求。因此，对病毒系统中 DNA 包装的研究揭示了 DNA 复杂行为的基本认识，以及生物系统适应这些物理限制的必要性。
