A close-up portrait of PVA: high-resolution structure yields information on particle assembly and stability
Virus particles, or virions, are formed by the encapsidation of the viral genome by coat protein subunits. Because the steps and mechanisms controlling this process in potyviruses are still poorly understood, new information on virion structure and assembly is needed for the discovery of potential targets for sustainable virus control.
We collaborated with the group of Professor Marjetka Podobnik (National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia) in studying the high-resolution structure of potato virus A (Potyvirus atuberosi; PVA) particles and the molecular interactions that contribute to virion stability. The PVA virion structure was constructed from cryo-EM images of particles purified from infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The study (Koritnik et al 2026: ) showed that potyviral coat proteins maintain a balance between conserved and variable features. The relationships between conserved and species-specific interactions contribute to the assembly of stable and uniform particles while allowing room for adaptive variation.
Other collaborations (past and present)
- Effect of undergrowth on the incidence of viruses of cereals, small RNA sequencing-based identification of viruses associated with barley (ALVIVE project): Dr. Johanna Santala (Finnish Food Authority)
- Host-virus crosstalk (Arabidopsis thaliana-TuMV pathosystem): Dr. Aiming Wang Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (London, Canada)
- Proteome projects: Dr Markku Varjosalo Protein Chemistry Laboratory - Institute of Biotechnology (University of Helsinki, Finland)
- Bilateral project on plant viruses as enzyme nanocarriers: Dr. T. Michon INRAE (Bordaux, France)
- Bilateral project on plant biotechnology / plant virology: Prof. H. S. Savithri IISc (Bangalore, India)
- Project on potyvirus as a gene vector: Prof. J. Valkonen Department of Agricultural Sciences (University of Helsinki, Finland)
- Project on heterologous production of industrially important proteins in barley: Drs. Anneli Ritala and Anna-Liisa Nuutinen VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Espoo, Finland)
- Additional research collaborations which have resulted into joint publications: Prof. U. Sonnewald (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Germany), Prof. M.Taliansky and Prof. L. Torrance (The James Hutton Institute, Scotland), Dr. V. Uversky (University of South-Florida, USA).