Penton blooming, a conserved mechanism of genome delivery used by disparate microviruses
Tailless <i>Microviridae</i> bacteriophages are major components of the global virosphere. Notably, microviruses are prominent members of the mammalian gut virome, and certain compositions have been linked to serious health disorders; however, a molecular understanding of how they initiate infection of their host remains poorly characterized. We demonstrate that trimeric protrusions located at the corners of a single microvirus capsomer mediate host cell attachment. This interaction triggers opening of the capsomer, driven by separation of subunits from its center, much like flower petals open during blooming. This extensive opening explains how the genome translocation apparatus, along with the genome itself, is able to exit the capsid. "Penton blooming" likely represents a conserved mechanism shared by diverse viruses possessing similar capsid architectures.
Authors
- J. Thomas Beatty (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1425-0532)
- H Koenig
- Paul C. Kirchberger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8387-6440)
- Maria Chechik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8413-4230)
- J.P. Turkenburg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6992-6838)
- Huw T. Jenkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3302-6966)
- Paul C. M. Fogg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5324-4293)
- Alfred A. Antson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4533-3816)
- Tibor Botka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2708-3718)
- Daouda A. K. Traoré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1001-4716)
- Sam Hart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3542-1126)
- Pavol Bárdy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1223-2584)
- James N. Blaza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5420-2116)
- Nawshin T. B. Alim
- L Byrom (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2261-7568)
- Tristan R. Nicholas
- Conor I.W. MacDonald
Institutions
- Oklahoma State University (US)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Masaryk University (CZ)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (Netherlands) (NL)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (Japan) (JP)
- Biomedical Research Institute (US)
- University of York (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- mBio
- Published
- 2025-03-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.03713-24
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.72
Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences