VIRION
Non enveloped, large (45-50 nm diameter) icosahedral particles composed of 420 subunits with a T=7 symmetry. The virion shell is multi-layered. It has not been described whether handedness of capsid is laevo or dextro, here the pictures dsplays a laevo form.
GENOME
Monopartite, open circular, double stranded DNA of about 7200 base pairs with discontinuities in both strands: one in the transcribed strand and one to three in the non-transcribed strand.
GENE EXPRESSION
ORF1 polyprotein is presumably cleaved into several chains by viral protease.
REPLICATION
CYTOPLASMIC / NUCLEAR
- Attachment of the viral proteins to host receptors mediates its entry into the host cell.
- The viral dsDNA is released into the nucleus where it is transcribed by host RNA polymerase II
- RNA translation produces viral proteins.
- Genomic RNA is retrotranscribed in the cytoplasm into new dsDNA genomes
- Genomes are encapsidated with capsid protein, releasing new virions.