Viral transcription-translation coupling in mammalian cells
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The coupling of transcription and translation (CTT) controls the gene regulation in bacteria. Recent cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies showed the physical coupling of these two processes. Interestingly, the double-strand DNA Vaccinia virus (VACV) performs the viral genome replication, transcription, translation, and assembly of virions in infected mammalian cells within discrete cytoplasmic foci called viral factories. The initial rounds of viral transcription and translation during the early phase of infection occur inside the host cytoplasm. In intermediate and late-phase of infection the viral gene expression is carried out inside the viral factories in close association with host ribosomes. Here, we seek to uncover the potential regulation mechanism of viral gene expression via viral-host CTT. The primary approach is to reconstitute the CTT in vitro and use single particle cryo-EM to uncover the detailed view of the structural architecture of the viral-host CTT. We aim to employ cryo-electron tomography and correlated light and electron microscopy (CLEM) to directly visualize the viral factories in a near-native state at a sub-nanometer resolution to confirm the existence of viral-host CTT directly in VACV-infected cells. |
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