Ordered duplex RNA controls capsid architecture in an icosahedral animal virus

SMALL spherical viruses are among the simplest replicating systems in biology, yet the factors affecting their assembly, stability and disassembly are still poorly understood. A molecular switch is required for the assembly of icosahedral virus particles containing more than 60 identical subunits because strict symmetry cannot be maintained in subunit packing1. All previously reported viruses with this type of structure use a portion of the...