Читать книгу Principles of Virology - Jane Flint, S. Jane Flint - Страница 71

The ability of the primary sequence of viral structural proteins to specify assembly is exemplified by the coat protein of tobacco mosaic virus. Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat and Robley Williams showed in 1955 that purified tobacco mosaic virus RNA and capsid protein assemble into infectious particles when mixed and incubated for 24 h. When examined by electron microscopy, the particles produced in vitro were found to be identical to the rod-shaped particles produced from infected tobacco plants (Fig. 1.9B). Neither the purified viral RNA nor the capsid protein alone was infectious. The spontaneous formation of tobacco mosaic particles in vitro from protein and RNA components is the paradigm for self-assembly in biology.

 Fraenkel-Conrat H, Williams RC. 1955. Reconstitution of active tobacco mosaic virus from its inactive protein and nucleic acid components. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 41:690–698.