Envelope structure of Semliki Forest virus reconstructed from cryo-electron micrographs (original) (raw)

Nature volume 320, pages 533–535 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

The basic principles of the architecture of many viral protein shells have been successfully established from electron microscopy and X-ray data1–4, but enveloped viruses have been more difficult to study because they resist crystallization and are easily deformed when prepared for electron microscopy. To avoid the limitations of conventional techniques when applied to enveloped viruses, we have used a cryo-electron microscopy method in which unfixed and unstained viruses are observed in an unsupported thin layer of vitrified suspension5,6. Because of electron beam damage, the many different views required for high-resolution three-dimensional reconstruction cannot be obtained from a tilt series of the same particle. The images of many differently oriented viruses are combined using a novel reconstruction method, ‘reconstruction by optimized series expansion’ (ROSE)7. The structure of the envelope of Semliki Forest virus has been reconstructed to 3.5-nm resolution. The T = 4 geometry of the surface lattice, the shape of the trimeric spikes and their arrangement on the lipid bilayer are visualized.

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Author notes

  1. C.-H. von Bonsdorff
    Present address: Department of Virology, University of Helsinki, SF-00290, Helsinki, 29, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Postfach 102209, D-6900, Heidelberg, FRG
    R. H. Vogel, S. W. Provencher, C.-H. von Bonsdorff, M. Adrian & J. Dubochet
  2. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Postfach 2841, D-3400, Göttingen, FRG
    S. W. Provencher

Authors

  1. R. H. Vogel
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  2. S. W. Provencher
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  3. C.-H. von Bonsdorff
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  4. M. Adrian
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  5. J. Dubochet
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Vogel, R., Provencher, S., von Bonsdorff, CH. et al. Envelope structure of Semliki Forest virus reconstructed from cryo-electron micrographs.Nature 320, 533–535 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/320533a0

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