Abstract
Many single-stranded (ss)RNA viruses package their genome through a self-assembly process occurring within the host cell. Their survival depends upon the capability of capsid proteins to selectively capture the segments of viral RNA amongst a sea of host cell molecules, and concomitantly, to build up a defectless capsid. For simple icosahedral ssRNA viruses, the branched topology due to the RNA secondary structure is thought to lower the free energy required to complete a virion. We investigate the structure of nucleocapsids packaging RNA segments with various degrees of compactness by small-angle X-ray scattering and cryotransmission electron microscopy.
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