Structure
The diameter of an HHV-6 virion is about 2000 Angstroms. The outer portion of the virion consists of a lipid bilayer membrane that is derived from that of the host and contains viral glycoproteins. Below this membrane envelope is a tegument which surrounds an icosahedral capsid, composed of 162 capsomeres. Within the HHV-6 protective capsid is a double stranded linear DNA.
During the maturation of HHV-6 virions, human cell membranes are used to form viral lipid envelopes (as is characteristic of all enveloped viruses). During this process HHV-6 utilizes lipid rafts, which are microdomains of membrane that are enriched in cholesterol, sphingolipids, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins. Early researchers suspected that HHV-6 virions mature in the nucleus; some even incorrectly published this, as they generalized and applied to HHV-6 what was known about other viruses. However, recently published data shows that HHV-6 viral assembly occurs at trans-Golgi-network-derived vesicles.
Read more about this topic: Human Herpesvirus 6
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