Structure of the Capsid Amino-Terminal Domain from the Betaretrovirus, Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus.
Mortuza, G.B., Goldstone, D.C., Pashley, C., Haire, L.F., Palmarini, M., Taylor, W.R., Stoye, J.P., Taylor, I.A.(2009) J Mol Biol 386: 1179
- PubMed: 19007792 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2008.10.066
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
2V4X - PubMed Abstract: 
Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus is a betaretrovirus and the causative agent of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a transmissible lung tumour of sheep. Here we report the crystal structure of the capsid amino-terminal domain and examine the self-association properties of Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus capsid. We find that the structure is remarkably similar to the amino-terminal domain of the alpharetrovirus, avian leukosis virus, revealing a previously undetected evolutionary similarity. Examination of capsid self-association suggests a mode of assembly not driven by the strong capsid carboxy-terminal domain interactions that characterise capsid assembly in the lentiviruses. Based on these data, we propose this structure provides a model for the capsid of betaretroviruses including the HML-2 family of endogenous human betaretroviruses.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Division of Molecular Structure, National Institute for Medical Research, the Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.