Gaussian curvature and the budding kinetics of enveloped viruses

ORAL

Abstract

Recent Brownian dynamics simulations of enveloped virus budding (Lazaro et al. 2018) have reproduced the puzzling pausing and stalling phenomena observed on in-vivo viral budding. We show that the pausing/stalling can be understood as a purely kinetic phenomenon associated with a ``geometrical" energy barrier. This barrier does not show in the equilibrium thermodynamics of the system but it must be overcome by capsid proteins diffusing along the membrane prior to incorporation into the viral capsid. The barrier is generated by the conflict between the positive Gauss curvature of the capsid and the large negative Gauss curvature of the neck region. The theory is compared with the Brownian simulations of the budding of enveloped viruses.

*We thank the NSF-DMR for support under Grant 1610384 (SD, BS, RB); the Brandeis Center for Bioinspired Soft Materials, an NSF MRSEC, DMR-1420382 (GRL); and the NIH, Award Number R01GM108021 from the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences (GRL and MFH). Computational resources were provided by the NSF through XSEDE computing resources (MCB090163) and the Brandeis HPCC which is partially supported by the Brandeis MRSEC

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Presenters

  • Baochen She

    • Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles

Authors

  • Sanjay Dharmavaram

    • Mathematics, Bucknell University

  • Baochen She

    • Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Guillermo R Lazaro

    • Chemistry, Brandeis University

  • Michael F Hagan

    • Chemistry, Brandeis University
    • Physics, Brandeis University
    • Brandeis University
    • Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University
    • Physics Department, Brandeis University

  • Robijn Bruinsma

    • Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles