Structural and mechanistic studies of positive-sense RNA virus replication

PI: Lars-Anders Carlson, Assistant Professor
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics
Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine
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more information: www.carlsonlab.se

We study how viruses reshape the cells they infect. Our main interest is the drastic rearrangements of host-cell membranes that positive-sense RNA ((+)ssRNA) viruses carry out within hours of entering a cell.
(+)ssRNA viruses are a vast group of viruses that causes human diseases ranging from common cold to COVID-19, from Chikungunya and Dengue fevers to gastrointestinal infections. All (+)ssRNA viruses replicate their genome by hijacking host-cell membranes and reshaping them to so-called replication complexes. These RNA-replicating organelles are the central intracellular manifestation of the viruses, but due to their membrane-bound intracellular localisation they have been much harder to study in molecular detail than the released virus particles.
We employ a mix of methods to uncover the structural and mechanistic basis of (+)ssRNA virus replication complexes. Much of our research is centred around imaging methods, specifically cryo-electron microscopy (cellular tomography and single particle methods) and fluorescence microscopy (live cell and in vitro reconstitution).
To read more about the team, our research, our funders, or to express your interest in joining us, please visit the lab’s website.