病毒基因组包装马达

Viral genome packaging motor

病毒只有通过侵入宿主细胞,占用后者的马达蛋白并耗尽其能量才能完成复制,而基因组的包装是其复制过程的重要一环。双链DNA或双链RNA病毒必须借助生物马达施力将无序的新生遗传物质注入衣壳内形成有序的类晶体结构后才算完成了复制。文章简单介绍了包装马达的结构、功能及其工作机制,并从能量效率角度推断其力学化学是不可逆的。

The virus cannot replicate itself until it has infected host cell and irritated relative biomotorsto exhaust latter’s ATP. The packaging of the viral genome, however, is the key step of viral replication. The dsDNA or dsRNA virus has to utilize hydrolysis energy of ATP by a biomotor to inject its nascent disordered genome into the preformed capsid to form a crystal-like structure before it completes replication. Here, we briefly introduce the structure, function and working mechanism of the packaging motor, and infer that its mechanochemical coupling is irreversible from the perspective of efficiency.