THE EFFECT OF GENOME SIZE ON THE STRUCTURE OF VIRAL SHELLS

The self-assembly of virus particles in which the protein subunits encapsulate genome into a shell called the capsid is an essential step in the viral life cycle. This process is basically driven by the electrostatic interaction between positively charged protein subunits and negatively charged genome. We develop a model to investigate the impact of genome size on the structure of capsids. The results show that not only the size of the genome, but also the strengths of interactions between the genome and protein subunits affect the structure of closed capsids. Furthermore, We study the interplay between mechanical properties of proteins and the interaction between the genome and capsid.