Structural Biology of Cells and Viruses Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, NW1 1AT, London, United Kingdom.
Worldwide Influenza Centre, The Francis Crick Institute, NW1 1AT, London, UK.
Commun Biol. 2022 Nov 10;5(1):1210. doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-04183-1.
SARS-CoV-2 is a lipid-enveloped Betacoronavirus and cause of the Covid-19 pandemic. To study the three-dimensional architecture of the virus, we perform electron cryotomography (cryo-ET) on SARS-Cov-2 virions and three variants revealing particles of regular cylindrical morphology. The ribonucleoprotein particles packaging the genome in the virion interior form a dense, double layer assembly with a cylindrical shape related to the overall particle morphology. This organisation suggests structural interactions important to virus assembly.
SARS-CoV-2 是一种带有脂质包膜的β冠状病毒，也是导致 COVID-19 大流行的罪魁祸首。为了研究该病毒的三维结构，我们对 SARS-CoV-2 病毒颗粒和三种变体进行了电子冷冻断层成像（cryo-ET），结果显示这些病毒呈现规则的圆柱形形态。病毒内部包装基因组的核糖核蛋白颗粒形成了一个密集的双层组装结构，具有与整体颗粒形态相关的圆柱形。这种组织方式表明了对病毒组装很重要的结构相互作用。
