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Article

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2003

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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/13275

Viral self-assembly as a thermodynamic process

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.248101

Abstract

The protein shells, or capsids, of nearly all spherelike viruses adopt icosahedral symmetry. In the present Letter, we propose a statistical thermodynamic model for viral self-assembly. We find that icosahedral symmetry is not expected for viral capsids constructed from structurally identical protein subunits and that this symmetry requires (at least) two internal switching configurations of the protein. Our results indicate that icosahedral symmetry is not a generic consequence of free energy minimization but requires optimization of internal structural parameters of the capsid proteins

Subject

Biofísica, Ciència dels materials, Termodinàmica estadística

Subject (English)

Biological and medical physics, Materials science, Statistical thermodynamics

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Articles publicats en revistes (Física de la Matèria Condensada)

Citation

BRUINSMA, Robijn F., et al. Viral self-assembly as a thermodynamic process. Physical Review Letters. 2003. Vol. 90, num. 24, pags. 248101-1-248101-4. ISSN 0031-9007. [consulted: 14 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/13275

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