Fig. 4.

Subparticle reconstruction of the fivefold axis showing that the N termini of the pentameric CP do not contact the RNA. (A) Exterior view of the density from a representative class generated by fivefold subparticle reconstruction. The color schemes and map resolutions are described in Fig. 3. (B and C) Interior (B) and side (C) views of the density shown in A. (D and E) Side view (D) and half-side view (E) of the density shown in B and C with only the N termini of the pentameric A conformers shown, which are 4 to 5 nm away from the nearest RNA. (F) Exterior view of the RNA shown at the interior of the CP N termini colored by conformer. Note that, in B–F, the RNA density is relatively far away from the pentameric N termini and that little RNA density is resolved at the center of the fivefold symmetry axes. (G) Representative structures of the internal density in the fivefold subparticle reconstruction.