New research observes virus "assembly" process

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- For the first time, a U.S. research team has observed the "assembly" of individual viruses in real time, helping to gain insight into the mechanisms by which viruses form and develop new ways to eliminate viruses and treat related diseases, a U.S. research team said in a report.
the specific structure of the virus is known to the biological community, but it is not clear how it was formed, and previous studies have used models to speculate on the formation process. The difficulty of direct observation is that the "parts" that make up the virus are very small and the interaction between them is very weak.
The Harvard team reported in a new issue of the national journal
that they used interferon scattering microscope technology to observe the formation of a single-stranded RNA virus. Using optical principles, this technique accurately shows the dynamic changes of small objects.
single-stranded RNA virus is a common virus species, colds, hand, foot and mouth disease, polio and other diseases are associated with such viruses. The Harvard team is studying a single-stranded RNA virus linked to E. coli.
They observed that about 3,600 nucleotides first accumulate to form the RNA core, and then about 180 identical proteins are connected to each other in a pentagonal or hexanoidal structure, "assembled" around the core into a football-structured viral shell, a process that takes only 1 to 5 minutes and does not stop once it begins.
, a Harvard professor who led the study, said such direct observations could help people recognize the process of forming a virus, which could lead to future efforts to cut off the virus's "assembly" path and curb its production.