Ultrastructural studies on a chlorella virus from Germany

This is the first report on the morphology and fine structure of chlorella virus Göttingen-1 (CVG-1), an European member of the newly approved family Phycodnaviridae, which infects certain unicellular, eukaryotic, exsymbiotic, green algae. CVG-1 are polyhedral particles 145-160 nm in diameter. The capsid consists of two shells, apparently composed of ca. 7 nm subunits. Whereas the outer shell of the capsid appears to be icosahedral, the inner shell appears to be irregular underneath one vertex of the virion. In this vertex the inner shell is separated from the outer shell leaving a distinct space ("empty vertex") of unknown function.