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3D images of virus could lead to cures

Scientists have finally created a three-dimensional and precise image of a virus’ shell. The immensely protective outer coating could be what makes viruses so difficult to kill, and while there are more than 5,000 known viruses, with whole families marked by wide variations of genetics and other characteristics, nearly all of them use either a helical or a spherical capsid.  Most viruses have similar outer coats, meaning that this new image, and the understanding it will bring, could be instrumental in helping scientists fight viral infections and design new gene therapies.



This image, which contains around five million atoms, all in the exactly the right place, took more than three years to make.  Painstakingly pieced together from hundreds of high-energy x-ray diffraction images, it paints the clearest picture available of the spherical capsid, the genome-encasing shell surrounding the virus’ genetic payload.  The capsid has an important role in a virus’ life, as a virus can only reproduce by invading a host cell and hijacking its biochemical machinery.  When a virus invades, it needs to seal off its genetic material to prevent it from being destroyed by the host cell’s protective mechanisms, which is where the capsid comes into play.

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