Influenza A virus particles assemble at the plasma membrane of infected cells. During assembly all components of the virus come together in a coordinated manner to deform the membrane into a protrusion eventually forming a new, membrane-enveloped virus. Here, we integrate recent molecular insights of this process, particularly concerning the structure of the matrix protein 1 (M1), within a theoretical framework describing the mechanics of virus assembly. Our model describes M1 polymerization and membrane protrusion formation, explaining why it is efficient for M1 to form long strands assembling into helices in filamentous virions. Eventually, we find how the architecture of M1 helices is controlled by physical properties of viral proteins and the host cell membrane. Finally, by considering the growth force and speed of viral filaments, we propose that the helical geometry of M1 strands might have evolved to optimize for fast and efficient virus assembly and growth.

中文翻译：

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M1 介导的甲型流感病毒组装物理模型


甲型流感病毒颗粒聚集在感染细胞的质膜上。在组装过程中，病毒的所有成分以协调的方式聚集在一起，使膜变形为突起，最终形成新的膜包膜病毒。在这里，我们将这个过程的最新分子见解，特别是关于基质蛋白 1 （M1） 的结构，整合到描述病毒组装机制的理论框架中。我们的模型描述了 M1 聚合和膜突起的形成，解释了为什么 M1 在丝状病毒粒子中形成组装成螺旋的长链是有效的。最终，我们发现了 M1 螺旋的结构如何受病毒蛋白和宿主细胞膜的物理特性控制。最后，通过考虑病毒丝的生长力和速度，我们提出 M1 链的螺旋几何形状可能已经进化为优化快速高效的病毒组装和生长。