FIG. 8.

Diagram of the juxtaposition of VP7 trimers in relation to VP3 and the likely VP7 assembly pathway. Trimers of VP7 adopt subtly different conformations in relation to each other in order to accommodate the spatial variation required for completion of a T=13 shell. (A) The trimers are labeled at P, Q, R, S, and T, with P providing the center of the group located on the fivefold axis. (B) A suggested order of assembly filling the trimer positions sequentially and consistent with partially filled shells associated with the mutants analyzed here.