In vivo assembly and virulence of poxvirus infectious crystals.

Micron-size crystalline armours are the main infectious form of ubiquitous insect viruses commonly used as bioinsecticides against agricultural pests. Their rare ability to crystallize in the complex milieu of the cell also fascinated biochemists and prompted their engineering as robust biological microparticles exploiting their remarkable packaging capacity. Guided by our pioneering structural studies of viral crystalline armours, we aim to answer long-standing questions on their role in the virulence of poxviruses. We will use innovative biophysical approaches to investigate how the infectious crystals self-assemble in infected cells, specifically package virus particles and disrupt host barriers to facilitate virus invasion.