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Computer Virus
05 February 2015

Computer Virus

Viruses like pox and herpes are crafty parasites. Unable to replicate on their own, they pump their DNA into infected cells, and use their host’s replication machinery to do the job for them. This computer model of a viral particle, or virion, is reconstructed from hundreds of images of cryogenically-preserved particles, made possible with a technique called electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM). Ten million-times smaller than a tomato-shaped ketchup bottle, the virion uses a 'nozzle' (highlighted in grey) to squeeze its DNA (multi-coloured inner circles, right) out into host cells. Newly-produced virions use similar channels to suck up copies of the viral DNA, ready to infect other cells. Using cryo-EM to highlight architectural details in virions – shown from the front (left) and sliced open from above (right) – provides clues about how infections spread, and may influence therapies to intervene at crucial stages in the virus’ life cycle.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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