Abstract
In vitro assembly of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) from its constituent RNA and protein occurs in two steps: formation of the initial complex by interaction of the 5'-end of TMV-RNA with 20S protein aggregate, and growth of the helical rod by sequential addition of protein subunits.Such a process was also observed in the assembly of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, which is also a rodshaped virus. The 13S virus-protein aggregate, probably a single-ring structure, is needed for formation of the initial complex, instead of the 20S double-ring structure for TMV. The 13S aggregate cannot effect growth of the initial complex to a long infective rod. Rod elongation takes place by the sequential addition of protein subunits. In general, the assembly of rod-shaped viruses occurs in two steps, and the protein aggregate is essential only for initiation of the reaction, not for rod elongation.
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