"Intranuclear Movement of Viruses through the Chromatin Network"
Various DNA viruses such as parvoviruses, herpesviruses and baculoviruses elicit the formation of large nuclear replication compartments alongside with host chromatin marginalization. Newly assembled nucleocapsids travel through the nucleoplasm and chromatin to egress at the nuclear envelope. Parvoviruses and herpesviruses rely on passive diffusion for intranuclear movement, whereas baculoviruses are actively transported in an actin-dependent manner. We have analyzed nuclear dynamics and interactions of viral capsids by employing an interdisciplinary approach, which combines biology and biophysics with state-of-the-art techniques of imaging, advanced image analysis, and biophysical modelling. Our studies with canine parvovirus showed that viral capsids diffuse rapidly within the replication compartment and accumulate close to the nuclear envelope. Herpesvirus studies showed that compacted host chromatin restricts nucleocapsid diffusion. However, herpesvirus capsids are able to reach the nuclear envelope due to interchromatin channels. Numerical modelling of baculovirus particles in a reconstruction of an infected cell nucleus demonstrated that although a significant part of the nucleocapsids become trapped in dense chromatin network, a portion of them is able to navigate through the chromatin when propelled by actin comet tails.
Date: 10 May 2018, 11:00 (Thursday, 3rd week, Trinity 2018)
Venue: Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Headington OX3 7BN
Venue Details: Meeting room B
Speaker: ADJUNCT PROFESSOR MAIJA VIHINEN-RANTA (University of Jyväskylä in Finland)
Organising department: Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
Organiser: Agata Krupa (Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford)
Host: Dr Ilona Rissanen (University of Oxford)
Part of: Strubi seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Agata Krupa