Biologists Learn Structure, Mechanism of Powerful 'Molecular Motor' in Virus

Researchers have discovered the atomic structure of a powerful "molecular motor" that packages DNA into the head segment of some viruses during their assembly, an essential step in their ability to multiply and infect new host organisms. The researchers, from Purdue University and The Catholic University of America, also have proposed a mechanism for how the motor works. Parts of the motor move in sequence like the pistons in a car's engine, progressively drawing the genetic material into the virus's head, or capsid, said Michael Rossmann, Purdue's Hanley Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences. More "news.uns.purdue.edu":[ http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/081224RossmannMotors.html]

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