Viral structural protein explained

A viral structural protein is a viral protein that is a structural component of the mature virus.

Examples include the SARS coronavirus 3a and 7a accessory proteins.^{[1] [2]}

Bacteriophage T4 structural proteins

During assembly of the bacteriophage (phage) T4 virion, the structural proteins encoded by the phage genes interact with each other in a characteristic sequence. Maintaining an appropriate balance in the amounts of each of these structural proteins produced during viral infection appears to be critical for normal phage T4 morphogenesis.^[3] Phage T4 encoded proteins that determine virion structure include major structural components, minor structural components and non-structural proteins that catalyze specific steps in the morphogenesis sequence.^[4] Phage T4 morphogenesis is divided into three independent pathways: the head, the tail and the long tail fibres as detailed by Yap and Rossman.^[5]

See also

• Viral nonstructural protein

Notes and References

1. Ito N, Mossel EC, Narayanan K, etal . Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 3a protein is a viral structural protein . J. Virol. . 79 . 5 . 3182–6 . March 2005 . 15709039 . 548460 . 10.1128/JVI.79.5.3182-3186.2005 .
2. Huang C, Ito N, Tseng CT, Makino S . Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 7a accessory protein is a viral structural protein . J. Virol. . 80 . 15 . 7287–94 . August 2006 . 16840309 . 1563709 . 10.1128/JVI.00414-06 .
3. Floor E. Interaction of morphogenetic genes of bacteriophage T4. J Mol Biol. 1970;47(3):293-306. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(70)90303-7
4. Snustad DP. Dominance interactions in Escherichia coli cells mixedly infected with bacteriophage T4D wild-type and amber mutants and their possible implications as to type of gene-product function: catalytic vs. stoichiometric. Virology. 1968;35(4):550-563. doi:10.1016/0042-6822(68)90285-7
5. Yap ML, Rossmann MG. Structure and function of bacteriophage T4. Future Microbiol. 2014;9(12):1319-1327. doi:10.2217/fmb.14.91