Non-enveloped. Small, icosahedral, about 52-55 nm in size. A single molecule of circular dsDNA is contained within the capsid, which is composed of 72 pentamers arranged on a T = 7 lattice.
GENOME
Circular dsDNA, about 8 kb in size, associated with cellular histones in a chromatin-like complex.
GENE EXPRESSION
Only one strand of the genome is transcribed and yield two classes of proteins:
a) Early Proteins: non-structural regulatory proteins (E1-E7).
b) Late Proteins: the structural proteins L1 and L2.
REPLICATION
NUCLEAR
Replication is divided in two distinct steps that are linked to the differentiation state of the host epithelial cell:
a) The plasmid replication takes place in the basal squamous epithelial cells.
It corresponds to viral DNA replication in synchrony with the host cell chromosome in order to ensures an average of one viral genome per basal cell.
Virus attaches to host receptors and is endocytosed into vesicles in the basal squamous epithelial cell.
Transport to the nucleus and uncoating of the viral DNA.
Early-region transcription and translation of the early proteins.
Steady-state viral DNA nuclear replication. Requires the origin of DNA replication in cis and the viral E1 and E2 proteins in trans.
b) The vegetative replication, which occurs in differentiated keratinocytes. In these cells, which no longer undergo cellular DNA synthesis, there is a burst of viral DNA synthesis with active production of virions.
