Virus Capsid Explorer

Select Virus

Choose a virus to explore its unique capsid structure and scale.

Structure Toggles

Isolate specific macromolecules to see how they form the complex viral machine.

Viral Capsid (Proteins) Viral Genome (RNA) Continuous Rotation

Visualization Style

Opacity (Slicing) 100%

Lower opacity to see the RNA core inside the protein shell.

Understanding the Visualization:

Viral RNA is shown as a stick model (chemical bonds) colored by atom type (Jmol color scheme: Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus).
Protein Capsid can be viewed as:
- Cartoon: Ribbons tracing the secondary structure, colored by spectrum across the protein chain (N-terminus to C-terminus).
- Molecular Surface: A solid white outer boundary representing the van der Waals volume.
- Spacefilling: Individual atoms shown as spheres, colored by amino acid type (e.g., Acidic, Basic, Polar, Nonpolar).

Did you know? The Satellite Tobacco Mosaic Virus is tiny. The outer shell is made of exactly 60 identical protein subunits that self-assemble perfectly around the RNA inside.

Virus Data Gathering

Gather structural and genetic data for statistical analysis. Select a virus and record its properties to compare across different virus types.

Current Virus Data

Virus Name: Loading...

Triangulation Number (T): Loading...

Estimated Diameter (nm): Loading...

Capsid Proteins (Count): Loading...

Genome Length (nt): Loading...

Recorded Data Table

Virus	T-Num	Diam (nm)	Proteins	Genome

No data recorded yet.

Analysis Questions

Based on your gathered data, answer the following:

1. Is there a correlation between T-number and estimated diameter?

2. How does the number of capsid proteins relate to the T-number?

NGSS Evidence & Reasoning

A virus is technically not "alive" because it cannot reproduce on its own. It acts as a biological syringe, injecting instructions into a host cell.

1. Locate the Instructions

Where are the instructions stored that tell a host cell how to build more virus particles?

2. The Role of Proteins

Look at the outer shell (Capsid). What is the primary function of these specialized proteins?

3. Scale and Proportion

Compared to a typical human cell, how large is a typical virus like the ones shown here?

4. Viral Assembly

How do the protein subunits forming the capsid shell come together?

5. The Role of Receptors

How does a virus know which host cell to infect?

6. Viral Replication

What must a virus do to reproduce?

7. Viral Evolution

Why do new strains of viruses emerge over time?

8. Immune System Detection

What part of the virus does the immune system primarily recognize?

9. Treatment Strategies

Why are antibiotics ineffective against viruses?

10. Structure Determines Function

If the genetic sequence (RNA) is mutated, how might that affect the virus?