Group theory of icosahedral virus capsids: a dynamical top-down approach

TL;DR

This paper uses a top-down normal mode analysis to study the dynamics of icosahedral virus capsids, revealing universal low-frequency modes that may be involved in genome release, complementing existing bottom-up studies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel top-down approach based on protein association energies to analyze viral capsid dynamics, highlighting universal low-frequency modes.

Findings

Identification of a universal plateau of low-frequency modes

Modes that break icosahedral symmetry and may facilitate genome release

Discussion of viral tiling theory's role in capsid dynamics

Abstract

We explore the use of a top-down approach to analyse the dynamics of icosahedral virus capsids and complement the information obtained from bottom-up studies of viral vibrations available in the literature. A normal mode analysis based on protein association energies is used to study the frequency spectrum, in which we reveal a universal plateau of low-frequency modes shared by a large class of Caspar-Klug capsids. These modes break icosahedral symmetry and are potentially relevant to the genome release mechanism. We comment on the role of viral tiling theory in such dynamical considerations.