SARS-Coronavirus Replication Is Supported by a Reticulovesicular Network of Modified Endoplasmic Reticulum (original) (raw)
Figure 9
Electron Tomography-Based Model of the Network of Modified ER Membranes That Supports SARS-CoV RNA Synthesis
A model showing the SARS-CoV–induced reticulovesicular network of modified membranes with which both viral replicase subunits and dsRNA are associated. Time postinfection increases from left to right. The various interconnected membrane structures documented in this study are depicted. The CM, the outer membranes of DMVs and VPs, and—ultimately—membrane compartments used for virus budding were all found to be continuous with the rough ER, as underlined by the presence of ribosomes on each of these components. DMV inner membranes and the interior of the vesicles, which contained as yet undefined “fibrous material,” were devoid of ribosomes but labeled abundantly for dsRNA. Ultimately, the network appears to connect membrane structures involved in SARS-CoV RNA synthesis to sites at which the assembly of new virions occurs and may thus contribute to the organization of successive stages in the viral life cycle in both time and space.