In retroviruses, the capsid protein (CA) forms a shell surrounding the viral core. Here the authors combine cryo-electron microscopy with NMR and X-ray crystallography to examine the CA structure from the human endogenous retrovirus HML2 (HERV-K) and determine the structures of four Fullerene CA closed shells that reveal the molecular basis of capsid assembly.
- Oliver Acton
- Tim Grant
- Peter B. Rosenthal