Solution structures of potato virus X and narcissus mosaic virus from Raman optical activity

Potato virus X (PVX) and narcissus mosaic virus (NMV) were studied using vibrational Raman optical activity (ROA) in order to obtain new information on the structures of their coat protein subunits. The ROA spectra of the two intact virions are very similar to each other and similar to that of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) studied previously, being dominated by signals characteristic of proteins with helix bundle folds. In particular, PVX and NMV show strong positive ROA bands at ∼1340 cm−1 assigned to hydrated α-helix and perhaps originating in surface exposed helical residues, together with less strong positive ROA intensity in the range ∼1297–1312 cm−1 assigned to α-helix in a more hydrophobic environment and perhaps originating in residues at helix–helix interfaces. The positive ∼1340 cm−1 ROA band of TMV is less intense than those of PVX and NMV, suggesting that TMV contains less hydrated α-helix. Small differences in other spectral regions reflect differences in some loop, turn and side-chain compositions and conformations among the three viruses. A pattern recognition program based on principal component analysis of ROA spectra indicates that the coat protein subunit folds of PVX and NMV may be very similar to each other and similar to that of TMV. These results suggest that PVX and NMV may have coat protein subunit structures based on folds similar to the TMV helix bundle and hence that the helical architecture of the PVX and NMV particles may be similar to that of TMV but with different structural parameters.

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A comparison of the solution structures of tobacco rattle and tobacco mosaic viruses from Raman optical activity

Journal of General Virology ◽

10.1099/0022-1317-82-6-1499 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 82 (6) ◽

pp. 1499-1502 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Ewan W. Blanch ◽

David J. Robinson ◽

Lutz Hecht ◽

Laurence D. Barron

Keyword(s):

Coat Protein ◽

Optical Activity ◽

Tobacco Rattle Virus ◽

Helical Structure ◽

Subunit Structure ◽

Coat Proteins ◽

Protein Subunit ◽

Polyproline Ii ◽

Raman Optical Activity ◽

Α Helix

Vibrational Raman optical activity (ROA) spectra of tobacco rattle virus (TRV) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were measured and compared with a view to obtaining new information about the coat protein subunit structure of TRV. A sharp strong positive band observed at ∼1344 cm−1 in the ROA spectra of the two viruses is evidence that both contain a significant amount of a hydrated form of α-helix, but more in TRV than in TMV. Although the ROA spectrum of TMV shows significant positive intensity in the range ∼1297–1312 cm−1 characteristic of α-helix in a hydrophobic environment, as expected from the helix interface residues in the four-helix bundles that constitute the basic motif of the TMV coat protein fold, that of TRV shows little positive ROA intensity here. Instead TRV shows a strong positive ROA band at ∼1315 cm−1, of much greater intensity than bands shown here by TMV, that is characteristic of polyproline II (PPII) helix. This suggests that the additional long central and C-terminal sequences of the TRV coat proteins contain a significant amount of PPII structure, plus perhaps some β-strand judging by a prominent sharp negative ROA band shown by TRV at ∼1236 cm−1, but little α-helix. The open flexible hydrated nature of PPII helical structure is consistent with the earlier suggestions that the additional sequences are exposed and, together with a larger amount of hydrated α-helix, could serve to fill the extra volume required by the larger diameter of the cylindrical TRV particles relative to those of TMV.

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