Professor
Ph.D. M.I.T., 1989

219 Keating Building, BIO5 Institute
University of Arizona 
Tucson, AZ 85721 
 

Phone (520) 626-6634/621-8539 
Fax (520) 621-6366 
E-Mail bfane@u.arizona.edu

The proper assembly of proteins and nucleic acids into biologically active virions involves numerous and diverse macromolecular interactions. While structural proteins, those found in the mature virion, must correctly interact, proper morphogenesis is equally dependent on scaffolding proteins. Analogous to scaffoldings used in building construction, these proteins ensure the integrity and efficiency of viral morphogenesis but they are not found in the final product. In addition to scaffolding proteins, the morphogenesis of single-stranded icosahedral viruses may be influenced by the association of the genome to the inner surface of the capsid. The broad objective of our research program is to elucidate the mechanisms involved in scaffolding-mediated and genome-mediate morphogenesis within the Microviridae system. In addition, we are also beginning to examine the biology of viruses which infect obligate intracellular parasitic bacteria. 

MIC 328 Microbial Physiology
MIC 424 Virology Lab

Chen, M., Uchiyama, A. Fane, B. A. (2007) Eliminating the requirement of an essential gene product in an already very small virus: scaffolding
protein B-free øX174, B-free. J. Mol. Biol. In press. 

Uchiyama, A., Chen, M,  Fane, B. A.  (2007) Characterization and function of putative substrate specificity domain in Microvirus external scaffolding proteins. J. Virol. 81:8587-92.

Skilton, R.J., Cutliffe, L. T., Pickett, M. A., Fane, B. A. Calrke, I. N. (2007) Intracellular parasitism of chlamydiae: specific infectivity of chlamydiaphage Chp2 in Clamydolpha abortus. J. Bacteriol. 189:4957-9.

Fane, B. A., Brentlinger, K. L., Burch, A. D., Chen, M., Hafenstein, S. Moore, E., Novak, C. R.  Uchiyama, A. (2006) øX174 et al. The Microviridae. In: The Bacteriophages. Ed. R. Calendar. Oxford Press.

Uchiyama, A. Fane, B. A. (2005) Identification of an interacting coat-external scaffolding protein domain required for both the initiation of phiX174 procapsid morphogenesis and the completion of DNA packaging. J Virol. 11:6751-6.

Clarke, I. N., Cutcliffe, L. T., Everson, J. S., Garner, S. A., Lambden, P.
R.. Pead, P. J., Pickett,M. A. Brentlinger, K. L., Fane, B. A. (2004)
Chlamydiaphage Chp2, a skeleton in the øX174 closet: scaffolding protein
and procapsid identification. 186 :7571-4.

Morais, M., Fisher, M., Kanamaru, S., Fane, B. A., Rossmann, M. G. (2004)
Conformational Switching of the øX174 scaffolding protein D during
assembly. Mol. Cell. 15:991-7.

Hafenstein, S. L. , Chen, M., Fane, B. A. (2004) Genetic and functional
analyses of the øX174 DNA binding protein: the effects of substitutions for
amino acid residues that spatially organize the two DNA binding domains.
Virology, 18: 204-13.

Novak, C. R. , Fane, B. A. (2004) The functions of the N-terminus of the
ø X174 internal scaffolding protein, a protein encoded in an overlapping
reading frame, in a two scaffolding protein system. J. Mol. Biol.
335:383-90. PMID: 14659765.

Bernal, R. A., Hafenstein S., Esmeralda R., Fane, B. A., Rossmann, M. G.
(2004) The øX174 protein J mediates DNA packaging and viral attachment to
host cells. J. Mol. Biol. 337:1109-22.

Fane, B. A., Prevelige, P. E. (2003) Mechanisms of Scaffolding-Assisted
Viral Assembly. In: Advances in Protein Chemistry Eds: W. Chiu, J. Johnson,
in press. Academic Press / Elsevier. 64: 259-99.