Objective Virus maturation is virtually universal and allows the transition from an initially assembled non-infectious and fragile particle to a robust infectious virion. Siphophage HK97 is an accessible model system, to study assembly and maturation, for which intermediates can be isolated and myriad structural, biophysical and biochemical data are available. The capsid protein fold similarity between HK97, all other dsDNA bacteriophages and some animal viruses suggests that they share common maturation principles. The proposed project seeks to unravel the mechano-chemical reorganization program underlying the structural transitions observed during HK97 procapsid maturation using hybrid methods. It relies on a multi-disciplinary approach involving X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and tomography to obtain multi-scale data ranging from atom to whole-cell. We aim to obtain structures of three different HK97 procapsid maturation intermediates to shed light on mechanisms involved in initial assembly of an energy-loaded particle as well as on forces driving forward maturation. We will also use electron tomography to study in vivo aspects of HK97 assembly and maturation in Escherichia coli infected cells. The outcome will allow apprehending mechanisms, dynamics and energetics of viral maturation as well as provide a basis for the use of HK97 as a delivery system for nano-medical applications. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeologymineralogycrystallographynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopyelectron microscopy Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF - Marie Curie Action: "International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-IOF - International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF) Coordinator INSTITUT PASTEUR Address Rue du docteur roux 25-28 75724 Paris France See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Marie-Laure Rosso (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution No data Participants (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLE Participation ended France EU contribution € 0,00 Address Boulevard charles livon 58 le pharo 13284 Marseille See on map Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Bouches-du-Rhône Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Céline Damon (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Other funding No data
