Cryo-EM Structure of the African Swine Fever Virus

Sheng Liu; Yuzi Luo; Yajuan Wang; Shihua Li; Zhennan Zhao; Yuhai Bi; Junqing Sun; Ruchao Peng; Hao Song; Dongjie Zhu; Yuan Sun; Su Li; Li Zhang; Wei Wang; Yeping Sun; Jianxun Qi; Jinghua Yan; Yi Shi; Xinzheng Zhang; Peiyi Wang; Hua-Ji Qiu; George F Gao

doi:10.1016/j.chom.2019.11.004

Cryo-EM Structure of the African Swine Fever Virus

Cell Host Microbe. 2019 Dec 11;26(6):836-843.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.11.004. Epub 2019 Nov 28.

Authors

Sheng Liu¹, Yuzi Luo², Yajuan Wang³, Shihua Li⁴, Zhennan Zhao⁴, Yuhai Bi⁵, Junqing Sun⁶, Ruchao Peng⁴, Hao Song⁷, Dongjie Zhu³, Yuan Sun², Su Li², Li Zhang², Wei Wang², Yeping Sun⁴, Jianxun Qi⁴, Jinghua Yan⁸, Yi Shi⁹, Xinzheng Zhang¹⁰, Peiyi Wang¹¹, Hua-Ji Qiu¹², George F Gao¹³

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China.
³ National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
⁶ Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China.
⁷ Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
⁸ CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
⁹ CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China; Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: shiyi@im.ac.cn.
¹⁰ National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: xzzhang@ibp.ac.cn.
¹¹ Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China; SUSTech Cryo-EM Centre, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: wangpy@sustech.edu.cn.
¹² State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology and National High-Containment Laboratory for Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China. Electronic address: qiuhuaji@caas.cn.
¹³ School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China; Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing 102206, China. Electronic address: gaof@im.ac.cn.

PMID: 31787524
DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.11.004

Abstract

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large double-stranded DNA virus with an icosahedral multilayered structure. ASFV causes a lethal swine hemorrhagic disease and is currently responsible for widespread damage to the pork industry in Asia. Neither vaccines nor antivirals are available and the molecular characterization of the ASFV particle is outstanding. Here, we describe the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the icosahedral capsid of ASFV at 4.6-Å. The ASFV particle consists of 8,280 copies of the major capsid protein p72, 60 copies of the penton protein, and at least 8,340 minor capsid proteins, of which there might be 3 different types. Like other nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses, the minor capsid proteins form a hexagonal network below the outer capsid shell, functioning as stabilizers by "gluing" neighboring capsomers together. Our findings provide a comprehensive molecular model of the ASFV capsid architecture that will contribute to the future development of countermeasures, including vaccines.

Keywords: African swine fever virus; capsid; cryo-EM structure; major capsid protein p72; minor capsid protein; virus assembly.

MeSH terms

African Swine Fever Virus / isolation & purification
African Swine Fever Virus / ultrastructure*
Animals
Capsid / ultrastructure*
Capsid Proteins / ultrastructure
Chlorocebus aethiops
Cryoelectron Microscopy
Swine
Vero Cells

Substances

Capsid Proteins